A Summer To Remember
by Vivere Sine Timore
Summary: Shane Gray is a world wide celebrity forced to spend a summer in Loch Arbour, the town where he grew up. Mitchie is the invisble girl who's lived in Loch Arbour her entire life. Part 1 complete; part 2 up! AU and slightly OOC
1. Prologue

**Yep. Another story.**

**Prologue**

I rolled my eyes as a stampede of teenage girls ran down the street, screaming at the tops of their lungs. In my eyes, it was stupid. I didn't get what was so great about him anyway. I mean, yes, he was Shane Gray, and yes, he was a celebrity. But I didn't get the point of running around screaming when he wasn't even here yet.

I'm the freak of the school. Everyone (well, at least all the girls) is obsessed with Connect 3. Even my best friend Sierra thinks they're okay. Not me. I'm a freak, and for whatever reason, I hate them. So you can imagine what was going through my head when it was announced that Shane would be spending the summer here. You'd be surprised how fast gossip can travel in a small town like Loch Arbour, New Jersey. But seriously, I can't think of Shane as anything but a normal person. It's like, impossible. It's not like I think he's not talented. Believe me, he is. I just don't get what makes him different from the rest of us.


	2. Chapter 1

**The story is gonna be in the "Normal POV", but I wanted the prologue to be from Mitchie's POV just cause. And Camp Rock never happened.**

"I'm not going!" Shane Gray yelled. His bandmates, the other two members of Connect 3 shook their heads.

"C'mon man," Nate said. "You'll like it here. You've been here before, remember?"

"Yeah, like five years ago," Shane shot back. "And this place is still the stupid little dinky town that I remember!"

"What about your cousins?" Jason asked. "You haven't seen them since we went on tour."

"Like I care," Shane said. "They hate me." He leaned back in his eat and looked out the window. Yep, it was exactly how he remembered it. Some stores, same houses, same people.

"Look man, you need to go," Nate said. "Our agent said so. This place is supposed to make you have a better attitude."

"I don't care!" Shane yelled. "I'm not going and that's final!"

"This isn't like you Shane," Jason said.

"Oh, cry me a river!" Shane crossed his arms and stared coldly at his friends.

"Shane, if you don't stop being immature this instant, I'm forcing you out of the car and keeping your clothes and guitar," Nate threatened. Shane grabbed his guitar, which he was extremely protective of, and got out of the car. As soon as he got his bags out of the trunk and got out of the way, the limo took off. Shane coughed and waved away the dust that the tires had kicked up. He was supposed to be staying with his aunt, uncle and cousins, but they were nowhere in sight. He looked around for anyone he recognized, but the only person around was a girl at the end of the street. She was sitting alone on a bench, and she had a guitar out. As he walked closer, he could hear her singing.

"_On this night we breathe air  
What makes it so different  
What makes you not care  
Well I wish that we could be the same  
And I wish that you could give up this game  
Don't want to be one of them  
So I will say_

_If I lived for a million years  
I would be right there to catch your tears  
Will you get over it this time  
Or is this the last time_

_Will you say goodbye before you leave  
Will you say goodnight  
Will you say goodnight  
just one more time please  
Will you call my phone out of regret  
And will you love again  
With other than me, Other than me  
And will you speak of me with other than me  
And will you remember me  
And will you remember me  
Will you remember me"_

"That sounds really good," Shane said. The girl yelped and jumped, nearly dropping her guitar.

"You shouldn't sneak up on people like that, boy," she said. Shane looked a little closer, and he thought she looked a little familiar. He shook his head, pushing the thought out of his head.

_Does she really not know who I am?_ he thought.

"Sorry," he said. "My uncle was supposed to pick me up, but no one was around but you," Shane explained. "Do you know where Kyle Gray lives?"

"Yeah, he lives right next to me," the girl said. "Do you want to take the way where all your fans will see you, or do you want to go the back way? It's longer, but it's unlikely you'll get mauled."

_'So she does know me. Figures."_ Shane thought.

"The back way," he said. The girl cleared her throat and stared at the boy.

"Please?"

"Much better," she said, and packed up her guitar.

"Who are you anyway?" he asked.

"I'm Michelle."

"Shane."

"I know. Everyone in this town knows you," she said. "Don't you come from here originally?" Shane looked confused by that. He'd never told anyone that, so she must have lived here while he did. Shane nodded and the girl took off at a fast pace. Shane paused for a moment, then walked after her.

"Isn't there anything new to do around here?" he asked when he caught up. "Stores? Parks? Anything?" Michelle shook her head.

"Nope. I mostly hang out with my friends at the elementary school playground," she said. Shane looked at her funny. Who would want to do something like that? Suddenly, she turned off the sidewalk and headed for the woods.

"Where are you going?" Shane asked. Michelle turned around.

"You said you wanted to go the back way. I'm just respecting your wishes," she said.

"Aren't there weirdos hanging out in there?" he asked.

"Are you serious?" Michelle asked, turning around again. "There are no _weirdos, _as you put it_, _hanging out in the woods. Just animals."

"I think I'd rather go the front way. I'll take my chances."

"What, and face a huge mob of screaming girls?" Michelle asked antagonistically "Most of them aren't even from this town. They're just here cause you are."

"I don't believe that for a second," he said. Michelle sighed.

"The population of Loch Arbour is about 280 people," she said. Last time I checked, there were at least 300 screaming girls stampeding through the town. Can you say impossible?"

"Impossible." The girl rolled her eyes.

"Whatever. You can face all your adoring fans if you want to. I'm going to the elementary school. See you around, Popstar. That is, if you live," she said, her voice dripping with sarcasm. She turned around then disappeared into the trees.

_'What a freak,_' Shane thought, before heading off onto the main road. The stores got closer and closer together, and he could make out people a way out. As he got closer, he realized it was the mob.

"THERE HE IS!" someone screamed, and Shane cowered as the girls stampeded right for him.


	3. Chapter 2

**Heyo peoples! This chapter is dedicated to everyone who reviewed. You guys rock!**

**OneDayAtATime- **You better make longer chapters Or I'll deem you a chicken nugget! MWAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!

**Now on with the story!**

Mitchie sat down on the swing at the abandoned playground. In the distance, she could hear screaming, no doubt the crazy fan girls. She sighed and set her guitar on the ground. She didn't get why people went so crazy over celebrities. They were just normal people too. It's not like they were some different race.

The elementary school was completely deserted. It had always looked happy and inviting the past summers; now it looked gray and uninviting. The sun was still shining, and it was still a beautiful, cloudless day, but Mitchie was the only one not pining over some hot shot pop star who she didn't even have a chance with. She used to, but she didn't now.

The lone girl kicked off her shoes and pushed the swing backwards with her toes. She loved going barefoot, feeling the rough wood chips beneath her feet. She swung her feet back and forth, prompting the swing higher and higher. The breeze felt good on her face, and she closed her eyes. It felt like she was flying, flying high above everything else. A smile broke out across her face, and she felt her hair whip backwards. She loved the weightless feeling swinging gave her.

"You were right," a voice said. "I shouldn't have gone that way." The girl opened her eyes, and none other than Shane the pop star was standing there. His hair was messed up, and his shirt was covered in dirt, and Mitchie couldn't help but laugh.

"You look so ridiculous," she said. She dragged her feet against the ground, and Shane winced.

"Doesn't that hurt?" he asked

"What?"

"Dragging you feet against wood chips."

"Not really," Mitchie said. "Come on, we don't live far from here." Shane followed the girl, and noticed she didn't have her shoes on. He shook his head, and kept his pace even with her, his guitar banging against his shins.

"How did you escape?" she asked after a little while.

"I dove into the bushes when I was far enough ahead," he said.

"Nice," she commented.

"I thought you said you didn't live far," Shane complained.

"I don't," she said. "I live right across that road." She walked barefoot into the middle of the street, even though it had to be burning hot. She pointed to a white house.

"That's your aunt and uncle's house," she said.

"Thanks," he said. "Bye Michelle." He entered the house, and Mitchie went to her house next door.

"I'm home!" she announced. "And bored out of my mind!"

"There you are, honey," her mom said. "Where were you?"

"At the school," Mitchie said.

"Who was that boy you were with?" Her mom smirked.

"Mom!" Mitchie rolled her eyes and blushed.

"Do you like him? Who is he?"

"I hate him," Mitchie said, setting her guitar on the floor near the dining room table.

"Who is he?" her mom prompted again.

"Shane Gray. No explanation needed," she said.

"Oh, well that explains things," Connie said. "I'm sorry honey."

"It's okay," she said. "I can avoid him for the summer. It's not _that_ hard." The doorbell rang, and Mitchie ran to answer it. Just as the doorbell rang again, Mitchie pulled open the door. Shane was standing there, finger still on the button.

"Uh, hi?" Mitchie said.

"Hi, my uncle said to come over here and ask if you could show me around," Shane explained.

"But don't you already know the place?"

"Yeah, but my uncle seems to think I don't. So what do you say?"

"She says yes," a different voice said.

"Dylan! Get out of here!" Mitchie screamed. She chased him away, leaving a very confused Shane at the door.

"I'll take that as a yes," he said to no one in particular, then left.


	4. Chapter 3

**I decided to have a little fun with Shane in the beginning of this chapter. And NOT in that way, you pervs! God, seriously??**

* * *

"Shane," Mitchie said, poking the boy. Shane did nothing but roll over.

"_Shane_," she said again, poking him a little harder. Shane grunted and twitched.

"SHANE! WAKE UP!" Mitchie screamed, kicking his bed.

"WHA-?" Shane yelled, falling out of his bed. "Michelle?! What are you doing here?!"

"I'm taking you around town," Mitchie said. "Come on, get up."

"But it's eight in the morning!" Shane complained. "It's too early."

"Eight o'clock is NOT early."

"Go away."

"Shane, really, you need to get up," Mitchie warned.

"Go _away." _Mitchie sighed. Suddenly, she started jumping on the bed, stepping on his arm accidently.

"OMIGOSH SHANE, THERE ARE, LIKE, A MILLION FANGIRLS OUTSIDE YOUR HOUSE!" Mitchie squealed.

"What?!" Shane exclaimed. "Well make them go away!"

"I tried that!" Mitchie said. "They want you to come out." Shane muttered a few swears, then pulled on a pair of skinny jeans and a t-shirt, the came down the stairs.

"Where's all the screaming?" he asked.

"Oh, I told them you were sleeping and to give me fifteen minutes and I'll have you up," Mitchie said. Shane paused before opening the door and stepping out.

"Hey guys!" he shouted, then realized there was no one there. He heard a little click, and turned to see Mitchie pulling a key out of the lock. She smiled innocently as she held up the key and placed it in her pocket.

"I hate you," he said darkly.

"Hate you too," she said. "So this should be interesting.

"You tricked me," he said.

"You wouldn't get up."

"Whatever. I already know my way around town."

"Watch out for fan girls," Mitchie said, starting to walk away.

"What? You're not gonna tell me not to go away, or at least go the way you suggest? You're not gonna follow me?" Shane asked.

"Nope," she said. "I have a rep to protect."

"What _rep_?" Shane asked. Mitchie turned again.

"I'm the only girl in my school who doesn't like you," she said. "If they see me with you, they'll think I was lying."

"Well, where are you going then?" Shane asked, taking a step closer to her. She bit her lip for a moment.

"A place me and my friend found," she said. "I go there almost everyday in the summer. You can come too, if you want. I don't care." She disappeared into the woods, and Shane took off after her.

"So what do you do at this place?"

"You'll see. Just be patient." Shane crossed his arms.

"In my world, I get what I want, when I want," he said.

"Well, this is my world," Mitchie shot back. "Get used to it." They walked in a frosty silence until they were facing a wall of boulders. Mitchie started taking off her clothes. (You have a sick, sick mind.)

"Michelle!" Shane said, horrified. "What are you doing?!"

"Teaching you how to live," she said. She had a bikini on underneath. "Hope you brought a bathing suit." She took off up the boulders, and Shane joined her. They reached the top, and Shane gaped at what he saw. There was a beautiful, crystal clear lake, and a small shed at the shore. Shane's stomach sank as he realized what Mitchie was about to make him do. She was going to push him off, and the drop was a good hundred feet.

But instead, Mitchie flung herself off the cliff and into the water. She screamed the whole way down, but it was out of exhilaration. She broke through the still surface, and she smiled.

'_Never gets old,' _she thought, and swan back to the surface. Shane was still standing at the top, looking at the drop.

"Come on!" she screamed. "The water's great!"

"No thanks, I'll pass," he called.

"Aw, is the wittle pop star scared?" she asked.

"No!" he insisted. She imitated a chicken, and Shane backed up and jumped. He curled his body into a cannon ball, and landed right next to her, and she squealed as she was sprayed with water.

"Show off," she said when he resurfaced.

"So what else do you do?" he asked when they'd swam for a while.

"Well, when me and my friend found this place, it was only the lake," she explained. "When my friend moved away, I decided to clean this place up. I built the shed to keep pool stuff in, and towels. See that rope over there?" She pointed to the trees. "I tied that to that tree and built that tiny dock-like thing, to swing into the lake. I also made a tire swing over there. You'd be surprised at what you can find in the dump." she pointed again.

"You build all this stuff?"

"Yeah. There's also a house at the other end of the lake. It's been abandoned for years, and I moved a bunch of stuff into it during the summers, when my parents were at work. I've got a mattress, so I don't have to sit on the floor, I've got books, a little TV, my laptop's in there..." she trailed off.

"Wow, you have your own little hide out here don't you?"

"Yeah," she smiled. "I do. The only thing I need to do now is paint the house."

"Why didn't you do it before?"

"Well, I bought the paint, but then my dad expanded his hardware shop, and my mom quit her job to start a catering business in our house."

"So, what?"

"So they couldn't give me allowance to buy stuff for a while, and my mom's always in the house, so I'd never be able to sneak everything past her."

"Well what about throwing it out the window?" Shane suggested. He was only kidding, but a wide grin spread across her face.

"Good idea! Come on!" She got out of the water and took off running towards her house. The one thing Shane could do as well as Mitchie was run, probably from running from all his fans.

"Michelle, you know I was kidding, right?" Shane said.

"Mitchie," she said. "You can call me Mitchie."

"Fine, _Mitchie. _I was still kidding."

"I don't care. It's a good idea, and I'm doing it."

"Where do you keep this stuff?"

"Under the living room couch," she said. "They'd never look under there." She opened the window and climbed in.

"Hey Shane, go to my garage and get my wagon. It'll be easier to get the paint there." She started setting paint cans on the ground and Shane disappeared around the side of the house. When he returned a few minutes later, Mitchie was standing with the paint cans, and the window was closed. They loaded the wagon up and brought it back to the "lake house", as they were now calling it. Mitchie pulled a couple of paint brushes from the shed and handed one to Shane.

This was going to be a long day.


	5. Chapter 4

**MWAHAHAHAHA! NO DISCLAIMER FOR YOU! jkjk... i own absolutely nothing**

Mitchie lurked in the bushes down the street from where a bunch of girls waited. They were all broken up into little cliques, but there were still a lot of them. She could see Shane down the street, and she snuck a little closer to where the girls were waiting. She'd finally convinced Shane to face his fans yesterday. He'd been resistant at first, but she'd threatened to smash his guitar, and he'd agreed.

She'd actually wanted to go down to the church today, where she would play piano and sing, and not have to worry that people would hear. The priest at the church, Father Symolon, used to listen to her play; he was the one who taught her how to play piano. They used to stay there for hours, singing and dancing, and having fun.

But today, when she went to the church, the mob of girls was standing in front of the church, and she'd decided to watch what happens. She'd jumped into the bushes and waited.

When Shane was close enough, the girls screamed and charged at him, and Mitchie laughed as she saw him cringe. He was swarmed, and it wasn't long before Mitchie couldn't see him at all. She laughed, then crossed the street and into the church.

It was completely deserted, and Mitchie stopped to say a prayer for Father Symolon. She quickly lit a candle and went into the back room. As she flipped the lights on, she took in the familiar room; the couch, the piano the window. She ran her fingers over the piano keys and over the smooth woodwork. She sat down on the bench and started to play.

"_She was given the world  
So much that she couldn't see  
And she needed someone  
To show her who she could be_

_And she tried to survive  
Wearing her heart on her sleeve  
But I needed you to believe  
_

_You had your dreams, I had mine  
You had your fears, I was fine  
Showed me what I couldn't find  
When two different worlds collide  
La da da da da_

_She was scared of it all  
Watching from far away  
She was given a role  
Never knew just when to play  
_

_And she tried to survive  
Living a life on her own  
Always afraid of the throne  
But you've given me strength to find hope_

_You had your dreams, I have mine  
You had your fears, I was fine  
Showed me what I couldn't find  
When two different worlds collide_

_She was scared, unprepared  
Lost in the dark  
Falling apart  
I can't survive  
With you from my side  
I won't be alright  
This is what happens when two worlds collide_

_You had your dreams, I have mine  
You had your fears, I was fine  
Showed me what I couldn't find  
When two different worlds collide  
La da da da da_

_You had your dreams, I have mine  
You had your fears, I was fine  
Showed me what I couldn't find  
When two different worlds collide  
When two different worlds collide"_

The music faded, and the doorknob jiggled. She dove under the couch, desperate for a hiding place.

"Hello?" she heard Shane's voice call. I sighed out of relief and crawled back out from under the couch. Mitchie didn't mind if he heard her. anyone else... well, that was a different story. she opened the door, and he looked shocked.

"Mitchie? Was that you singing?"

"Yeah, I wrote it too."

"Wow," he said. "That was amazing!"

"Thanks, even though it's not _that_ good."

"Are you kidding? It was really good!" Shane insisted. "Who inspired it?"

"Father Symolon. He was my friend, and he was the one who taught me how to play piano. But he died a couple years ago." Mitchie said. "I just kinda mixed that with how I felt when my friend moved away. I really _liked_ him."

"Wow," he said. "Do you and your friend ever talk?"

"No," she admitted. "Right before he moved we got in a fight, and we haven't spoken since." The last part was a lie.

"I'm sorry, he said. He hugged her, and she hugged him back. She seemed so familiar to him, but he couldn't put his finger on it. He felt as if he'd known her before. He tilted her face up to try and see if he could recognize her, and then his lips were on hers.

Mitchie pulled back a second later, her eyes wide. She backed away from him, grabbed her bag and put it on her shoulder.

"I can't, Shane," she said in a shaky voice. "I just... can't." She fled from the room and ran all the way back to her house.

"Hey sweetie," he mom said as she burst through the door.

"I'm not here," she said, running up to her room. She crawled into her closet, enveloping herself in the darkness. She pressed the fabric of one of her dresses to her mouth and screamed. She screamed out all her frustrations and mixed emotions. She screamed until her throat hurt, until she lost her voice, until she couldn't scream anymore. When she was done, she sat there, trying to sort out her jumbled thoughts.

She wasn't supposed to like Shane. She was supposed to be Mitchie, the only girl who didn't like Shane, or Connect 3. She was supposed to be the freak, the lone wolf, so to speak. But this summer, she found herself spilling all her secrets to her former friend. And when he'd kissed her, she'd seen stars. But she wasn't supposed to. She was supposed to hate his guts.

She sat there for a long time, trying to figure out if she liked or hated Shane. She wanted, so badly, to be his friend again. But he'd said things that he could never take back, and she wasn't sure if she was ready to trust him again. She cried as she remembered the last time she'd seen him, three years ago.

"Mitchie?" someone called, followed by three soft knocks. She sighed and crawled back out of her closet, and opened the door just as her mom was about to knock again.

"Hi mom," she said dully.

"You okay?" her mom asked in a concerned voice. Mitchie nodded. "Good. You have a guest at the door." Connie walked back out of the room, and Mitchie sighed, then followed her mother. She already knew who was there, but she felt that Shane deserved an explanation.

"Shane, I can explain," she said when she came down the stairs.

"It's okay," Shane said. "I know you weren't ready, but you seem so familiar, like I knew you before." Mitchie drew in a breath.

"You did," she said. "We knew each other."

"What?"

* * *

**O_o OOOH! How did they know each other? Only me and two other people know, so ha!**

**Anyways, this is going to be the last chapter for a while. I'm going on temporary hiatus due to a family issue. My cousin died recently, and it had a huge toll on my family. She was a great person, and it's still hard to believe she's gone. If you can, please say a prayer for her, because she was an amazing person.**

**~still waiting for my prince**


	6. Chapter 5

**Hey, I'm back. I'm still sad about my cousin, but writing is the way I express myself, so I decided to come back. Which you already know since you're reading this. Anyways, this might be a little sucky, but please bear with me. Me still sad. :'(**

**And, just to clear this up, Mitchie is 16 and Shane is 18. Shane left when he was 13 and Mitchie was 11. And it's been 5 years that they haven't seen each other.**

"What do you mean I knew you?" Shane asked. Mitchie said nothing, just stared coldly at him.

"Mitchie, please tell me," he begged. Mitchie ignored him, and ran back up the stairs. Shane stood there dazed for half a second before lurching up after her.

"Mitchie, please, I don't know what you're talking about!" he yelled. "Please, please tell me what you mean!"

"Go away Shane!" she shrieked, slamming her bedroom door in his face. She pushed her vanity table in front of her door so there was no way Shane could get in. Shane banged and kicked at the door, desperately trying to get in.

"Mitchie! Open the door!" he demanded.

"Go away!" she screamed again. Shane stopped kicking and leaned against the door. He slowly slid down until he was sitting on the floor. No noise came from the other side of the door.

"You know, you can't stay in there forever."

"Watch me," Mitchie challenged.

"Please, just let me in, explain what you mean, and then I'll leave you alone," Shane said. "_Please._" There was no answer from Mitchie, but after a few moments, Shane heard scraping on the other side. A few seconds later, the door flew open, and Shane hit his head with a loud _thump_ on the hardwood floor. Mitchie giggled before helping him up.

"Okay, so what did you mean?" Shane asked, sitting on her bed.

"We used to be best friends. We rarely did anything with out each other," Mitchie said. "But then you went to Camp Rock

* * *

**Flashback

* * *

**

_"Shane!" an 11-year-old Mitchie screamed. She'd been sitting on her porch railing, waiting for him to come home. He'd gone to a camp this summer, and she'd missed her best friend._

_"Hey Mitch," a 13-year-old Shane greeted. Mitchie ran over to him and all but tackled him._

_"So how was camp? Cause it was boring here. I literally did absolutely nothing!" Mitchie said._

_"It was great!" Shane said. "There's this thing called Final Jam, where people at camp get to compete to see who's the best. And I met these two kids, Nate and Jason, and we performed together, and we won!" Shane was smiling wider that Mitchie ever thought was possible._

_"That great!" she said. "What's the prize?"_

_"Well, actually, we get a record deal," Shane said. "We get to go to Hollywood and start a band! We're calling ourselves Connect Three." Mitchie's smile faded as she understood what would happen._

_"What's wrong?" Shane said, frowning too._

_"Well, if you're going off to Hollywood, then what about me?" Mitchie asked. She would lose her only friend._

_"Aw, c'mon Mitchie," Shane said. "It's not _that_ hard to make friends."_

_"For me it is!"_

_"Well, then, get better at it!"_

_"I hate you," Mitchie said coldly, and Shane stared at her, surprised at her._

_"What?"_

_"I hate you!" she screamed. "You and your stupid band! I wish you'd never gone to that stupid camp!"_

_"Well, I hate _you_! You're the worst friend in the world, Mitchie!" Shane yelled back. "If you weren't such a selfish jerk, you'd be happy for me and boosting me up, not tearing me down! No one would ever want to be a friends with a loser like you!"_

_"Well, then why don't you leave before people start to thing you're a loser too, just for hanging out with me," Mitchie said, her voice filled with venom, but a scary, deathly calm._

_"Fine."_

_"Fine."_

_Shane had left in a limo two days later while Mitchie looked on from her window. Their friendship had ended that day, and both had vowed never to talk to the other again._

* * *

**End of Flashback**

* * *

"I'm so sorry," Shane said, hugging her. "I', so, so sorry I said that to you."

"It's fine," Mitchie said, fresh tears forming in her eyes. "It's nothing."

"No, it's not fine," Shane said. "Do you seriously think I'm a complete idiot?"

"Well, not a _complete _idiot..."

"Oh, you are _so_ going to pay for that!" Shane tackled her onto her bed and began tickling her.

"Shane! Shane! Stop... that!" she gasped in between laughs.

"Take it back!" he said.

"Never!" He tickled her more, and she squirmed, trying to escape.

"Take it back," Shane grinned.

"Fine, fine... I- I take it back!" she laughed. "You're not... and idiot at... all!" he stopped tickling her and let her catch her breath.

"How can you not remember something like that?" Mitchie asked when her breathing was back to normal.

"Mitchie, I can barely remember what happened last year, much less five years ago," Shane said. "When you're famous, it's easy to get cuaght up in things, and you can't remember the things that were important before."

"Yeah, but did you really forget everything from when we were little?" Shane hung his head a little.

"Yes," he said eventually. "I'm not proud of it. I wish I hadn't forgotten. I also wish we'd never gotten into the fight too." Shane looked up and stared Mitchie in the eyes so she knew he wasn't lying.

"Well, I forgive you," she said. "And I'm sorry too."

"It's no biggie," he said. "I'm just glad we're friends again." They hugged, and Mitchie closed her eyes, elated how it felt so right.

**Sorry this chapter is so short. I'm having a brain fart. I have sumthin i wanna write, but i couldn't include it in this chapter. so... yeah. please review!**


	7. Chapter 6

**I'm switching this story to 1st person (i.e. I, we, my). I write out the chapters on paper, and I keep lapsing back into that form of writing since that's how I usually write. It's getting too annoying to keep going back and putting it back in 3rd person, so I'm giving up and switching it. hope you don't get too confused!**

* * *

"Mitchie." Ugh. Shane. I groaned and buried my face in my pillow.

"_Mitchie._" I felt him poke me lightly, and I knew he was getting me back for the time that I woke him up. I swatted his hand away and opened one eye.

"Go away," I said, closing my eye.

"Mitchie, get up."

"No. Sleep good. You bad." I pointed in his general direction and pulled the covers over my head. Suddenly, my bed wasn't beneath me anymore. My eyes snapped open in surprise, and Shane smiled down at me. My heart thumped out an irregular pattern, skipping a few beats here and there. I started thrashing and flailing my arms and legs.

"Shane Adam Gray, you put me down right now!" I shrieked.

_'Please say no, please say no,'_ I begged in my head. I never wanted him to let go. He leaned in close, and I swear to God, my heart stopped for two seconds.

"Never," he whispered in my ear. My heart picked up in double time when as his breath blew a few strands of hair in my face. I brushed them away and stopped thrashing. Our head bent closer and closer together...

"Did you get her up?" The door swung open, and we pulled our heads back quickly. my mom stood in the doorway, observing the scene in front of her.

"Mom!" I complained.

"Uh, um, I'll go away," she said, closing the door again. Shane sighed and set me back down on my bed. I sat back up immediatly, and Shane sat next to me and put his arms around me. I laid my head back down, resting it on my pillow. I buried my head in his shoulder and listened to his heart, which was beating perfectly in time with mine.

"I've never really done this before," he said after a few minutes. "But, Mitchie, ever since I met you, I haven't been able to get you out of my head. This has been driving me nuts, but I like it. So, uh, will you be my girlfriend?"

I stopped breathing, and my jaw locked. I couldn't say anything no matter how hard I tried.

_"Yes!"_ I wanted to scream. I couldn't open my mouth, and Shane misinterpreted my silence.

"You don't have to," he said quickly. "I mean, you might not feel the same way, and I have no problem with that. Maybe you like someone else, even though I really wish that isn't true. But still, you don't have to if you don't-" I cut him off by pressing my lips to his.

"I'll take that as a yes," he said, pulling away after a few seconds.

"Shut up and kiss me." He happily obliged.


	8. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer: Roses are red, violets are blue, I don't own anything, so please don't sue!**

* * *

I was at the elementary school playground again, and I was bored out of my mind. Dylan was sprawled on the grass a few feet away, staring up at the clouds.

"I'm so bored," he announced for the millionth time that day.

"Me too," I said. Normally, I would yell at him for repeating the same thing over and over again, but today I couldn't blame him. Shane was off doing God knows what, and my mom wanted me and Dylan to spend some quality brother-sister time. She'd taken our keys and locked us out of the house, refusing to let us back in until we spent some time together. The weird thing was, we haven't gotten in _one_ argument today. Instead, he helped me write a song. You know, for a thirteen-year-old booger of a brother, he's not that bad.

"Play the song again," he said. "I like it." I rolled my eyes, but picked up my guitar anyway.

"_I woke up on my roof with my brother  
There's a whale in the pool with my mother  
And my dad paints the house different colors  
Where would we be, if we couldn't dream?_

_And I know  
We get a little crazy  
And I know  
We get a little loud  
And I know  
We're never gonna fake it  
We are wild  
We are free  
We are more than you think  
So call us freaks  
But that's just the way we roll_

_You got moves, I've got shoes, let's go dancing  
Pop and lock, battle dance against Hanson  
If we lose, all the girls, they'll be laughing  
Where would we be, if we couldn't dream?_

_And I know  
We get a little crazy  
And I know  
We get a little loud  
And I know  
We're never gonna fake it  
We are wild  
We are free  
We are more than you think  
So call us freaks  
But that's just the way we roll_

_And we're old enough to know  
We're never letting go  
'Cause that's just the way we roll_

_And I know  
We get a little crazy  
And I know  
We get a little loud  
And I know  
We're never gonna fake it  
We are wild  
We are free  
We are more than you think  
So call us freaks  
But that's just the way we roll_

_And I know  
We get a little crazy  
And I know  
We get a little loud  
And I know  
We're never gonna fake it  
We are wild  
We are free  
We know more than you think  
So call us freaks  
'Cause that's just the way we roll  
That's just the way we roll  
Oh That's just the way we roll."_ **(You have no idea how well this song describes me and my family. And I only changed 1 word in this.)**

We were quiet for a little while after I finished. Finally, Dylan broke the silence.

"Hey Mitchie?"

"Yeah?"

"If I asked you something, will you promise not to laugh?" I stared at my brother.

"Depends on what it is." He sat up to look at me.

"If you're gonna laugh, then I'll just ask someone else." I could tell by the look on his face that he wasn't playing around.

"Okay, okay. I won't laugh. What do you want?"

"Well, there's this girl, Lilly, and I like her-"

"And you don't know how to ask her out," I finished. Dylan is incredibly predictable.

"Yeah. And seeing as I'm not a girl, i don't know what they like."

"Well, most girls likeit when you're sincere," I said. "So when you say something to her, mean it. And every girl, mark my words, wants a boy to be sweet to them, and treat them right." Dylan nodded.

"So should I just come right out with it?" I thought about it for a moment.

"I think you should hint at it first for a few days or something," I said.

"You sure?"

"Yep."

"You think Mom'll let us back in the house?"

"Maybe. There's only one way to find out." I placed my gyuitar back in it's case, and we took off towards our house. The doors and windows were still locked, and our mom still refused to open the door.

"C'mon Mom!" I complained. "We spent an entire day together without a single fight!"

"Yeah!" Dylan backed me up. "Seriously, this is stupid!" There was still no answer. I huffed and sat down on the porch.

"This is so unfair," Dylan pouted as he sat next to me.

"I know." I kicked off my shoes and padded out to the tire swing in the front yard. I climbed up onto it so I was standing on top of the tire and pushed myself forward with the tree. When I really started going, I closed my eyes and pretended I was flying again. I was barely aware of Dylan watching me; I didn't care if he saw it. I felt the cool breeze on my face. There was only a month left of summer. Amazing how time flies, huh?

Something cold and went hit my skin, catching me by surprise, and I lost my grip on the rope and fell. Dylan began to laugh, and I realized the sprinkler had come on. Dylan joined me in the water, and we ran round and round, getting soaked to the bone. I squealed in delight, and I saw my mom coming around the side of the house. She'd definitely set that up. I picked up the sprinkler and aimed it at Dyaln, but he dodged away. We turned into water nymphs, laughing and dancing in the cold water. Mom even joined in by taking the sprinkler from me and chasing both of us. Seconds later, I heard the unmistakeable sound of a screen door slamming.

"What the hell are you doing?" Shane called. I must've been high on water and air, because I foud myself takig the hose from my mom and saying, "You come over here and you're gonna get wet." Then I hosed him. He stood there for a second, shocked and completely soaked.

"Now you're gonna get it," he said mischieviously. He charged straight for me, and I screamed and ran the other way. Whe he caught up, he yaked the sprinkler from my hands and turned the spray on me. I yanked it back, but he still wouldn't let go. We went to our knees, fighting for it, laughing and screaming. Dylan began chanting "Fight!" and we collapsed in the grass, shaking with laughter.

* * *

**Me and my sister did that a lot last year, minus the songwriting and shane and my mom and dad. so thats where this all came from.**

**omg, im in the theatre program at my school, and yesterday I got to go up on an a-frame. for those of you who don't know, an a-frame is like that type of ladder that looks like an upside-down V, but it also had an extention ladder. and ours is wooden, so that didt make me feel any safer.**

**so anyways i had to go up and tie a cable to the top of one of the headaches (thats not their real name, we just call them that), and I was soooooooooooooooooo scared cause i was like 40 feet off the ground on a wooden ladder! and when i came dow, the first thing i did was throw myself on the ground and scream "LAND!!!!!!" I was soo terrified! but it was actually pretty fun.**


	9. Chapter 8

Shane and I walked into a small, air-conditioned deli. Shane had his arm draped around my shoulders, and I was blushing so hard, I probably looked like a giant tomato. I'd already seen a few people take pictures of us, no doubt to send in to magazines and stuff.

Shane decided to make our relationship public, something about crazy fan girls leaving him alone. And if it made him happy, I would go along with it. But secretly, I was glad to finally let the secret out. I mean, it's one thing to keep a small secret. But to keep it a secret that you're dating a famous popstar? You feel like shouting it to the world. And then you get mobbed.

Anywho, Shane and I had pretty much done nothing but walk around town and get people used to the sight of us together. Good news is, not too many people made a big deal out of it. Bad news is, the few people who had, now hate my guts. Some of the girls from my school saw me with Shane, and when we walked by, they hissed at me, "Bitch."

"Hey, you okay?" Shane asked, noticing my silence. I nodded and tried to smile, but it was more of a grimace.

"I'm fine," I lied pathetically.

"No, you're not," he said. "Is it because of what those girls said?" So he had heard too.

"Say something," I ordered. "Anything. Distract me so I won't think about it."

"Uh... What do you want me to say?"

"I don't know, anything. Something from when we were little." Oh God. Now he's gonna bring up all my most embarrassing moments.

"Um, it wasn't until I was twelve, and you were ten, that I realized you were a girl." He must not have meant to say that, cause he immediatlely blushed. Shane Gray doesn't blush.

"What??!" How could he not know that? I meant to look apalled, but I could feel an unconcious smile on my face anyway.

"Well, you weren't exactly an ordinary girl, Mitch," he defended himself. "You never acted like all the other girls. In third grade, I remember you locked some kid in the ball cage. Hell, when we made our blood promise, you were the first one to cut your palm with my Swiss army knife. I always thought of you as one of the guys." I fingered the leathery scar that was still on my palm and grinned.

"Yeah, I guess I always _did_ act more like a guy than a girl," I admitted. Shane grinned at me, and I grinned back. We both lifted out hands, his right and my left, and we pressed our palms together, interlacing our fingers. The scars were in the exact same places on our hands, and pressed against each other.

"Friends till the end," I recited, remembering my part.

"Forever and always." I had been nine when we did that. Shane and I had wanted some way to promise each other that we'd always be friends, no matter what came up. We'd read a story about a pioneer boy and an Indian boy cutting the tips of their fingers and pressing their fingers together, mixing their blood. So we'd cut our palms and pressed them together for almost a minute. While our hands were pressed together, we'd said those words, and they became our saying.

Shane peered out the window and smiled back at me. "I think all the crazy fan mobs are gone." I sighed a breath of relief.

"Good. Wanna go to the lake house?" Shane nodded, and we walked out the door, our hands interlaced. Shane held himself in a proud stance, head held high, but kept in check so he didn't appear cocky. However, I kept my head ducked, my hair falling in front of my face so as to protect my identity. Shane must have noticed, because the next thing I knew, he was dragging me off into a wooded area. I still kept my head ducked though.

"Mitch, it's the woods," he said. "You don't have to act like a criminal."

"Says the pop star who's used to all this craziness."

"I do believe you mean 'rockstar'."

"I do believe you're wrong," I teased. Shane smiled back mischieveously. The next thing I knew, he'd picked me up and thrown me over his shoulders, sack of potatoes style. I gasped in surprise.

"Shane! Let me down!! Shane!!!!" He contined deeper into the woods, and I tried to get myself down. Soon I realized we were at the elementary school across from my house. Shane set me down on a swing, and I stared defiantly back up at him. He circled around to the back and gently pulled the seat back slightly, then let go. The breeze brushed my hair back, then forward as I swung back towards Shane. I turned my head as he pushed me forward again, and he smiled at me. When I swung back, he caught the swing and captured my lips in a passionate kiss.

I slowly slid off the swing so I was standing, never breaking the kiss. Shane's hands tangled in my hair, and I loosely wrapped my arms around his neck. The world stopped, and it was just the two of us. All those years ago when we actually went to this school, I would have never pictured me kissing Shane. At the time, the only way I could think about him was as a good friend. But now, I couldn't picture my life without him.

We came up for air, panting, and Shane wrapped me in his embrace. I felt so safe, as if nothing could ever touch us. I loved the feel of his arms wrapped around me, and I rested my head on his chest. I could hear the steady beating of his heart, the most beautiful lullaby I've ever known. I felt him kiss my head, then he backed up and took my hand. He led me wordlessly across the street, past my house and into the woods towards the lake house.

Our arms swung lightly as we walked, our fingers interlocked. Shane began playing with my little finger, and I laughed quietly to myself. He'd always done that when we were young. I guess it was just a habit he never got rid of. I suddenly broke away from him, sprinting towards the lake. I heard Shane laugh and start running after me. I could hear him crashing through the brush, while I ran almost silently. I pictured myself becoming one with the wind, howling and mysterious. I made it to the "cliffside" in no time, and began climbing up. At the top, I paused for a few moments, the wind whipping my hair around. It was really beginning to pick up, though I couldn't understand why. I spread my arms wide, leaned forward, and allowed myself to fall over the edge.

"Mitchie, wait!" I heard Shane call, but it was too late. In a second, I was in the water, deeper than I'd meant. I bumped against some rocks, scratching up my side, but I didn't care. The cool water felt good against my skin. I was vaguely aware that I was still fully clothed, but I didn't care at all. I could hear someone yelling above the surface, and I knew it was Shane. I knew I'd stayed under too long for his comfort, and I was running out of air, anyway. But as I started swimming towards the surface, something pulled me down. I tried again and again, but I was held firmly in place. I looked down to see my anklet caught between some rocks. I tried to pull free, to move the rocks, but they wouldn't budge. I began to panick, yanking my leg, trying to set myself free. Nothing worked, and I was slowly losing more and more air. Black spots were beginning to block my vision, burning holes into what I could see.

"Shane! Help me!" I began to scream. Big mistake. All I got out was "Sh-" before all the air rushed out of me, and my mouth filled with water. The black spots began connecting, and my movements became slower and less coordinated. With my last burst of energy, I shoved the rock that was trapping me off of my bracelet. Then the cold blackness swallowed me whole.


	10. Chapter 9

.**Shane POV**

I finally made it to the lake, about a minute after Mitchie had. I'd seen her get ready to jump, but I'd yelled too late. When I got there, there was no sign of her. I figured she'd been down there for a minute and a half now, and no one I knew could hold their breath that long. I was about to jump in when I saw a rush of bubbles appear near the cliffside. I don't know how, but somehow I knew that was where Mitchie was, and something was very, very wrong.

I peeled my shirt off and jumped in. The water was mostly clear, and I swam straight for where I'd seen the bubbles. I could see a dark figure struggling, push something, and then go limp. I pushed my arms and legs faster and faster, knowing that Mitchie was in trouble. I'd been told previously that bodies float in water. However, I saw Mitchie sink farther and farther, and my heart started speeding up. When I finally got there, I quickly wrapped my arm around her waist and pulled her upwards.

What seems like an eternity later, I reach the surface, gasping for breath. I flail around for a second before treading water. I take deep breaths, making up for the time speant under water. It is only then that I realize that beside me, Mitchie is completely still, her eyes closed and her lips a slightly bluish tint. Fear shoots up my spine, and I paddle as quickly as I can towards the shore. I am gasping for breath, but something keeps pushing me along, tugging Mitchie along with me. Normally I could have made it over in a matter of seconds, but dragging another person slows you down, not to mention keeping their head above water, and preventing them from bumping into the rocks. When we make it to shore, I drag her onto the small sandy part and lay her flat on her back. I call her name over and over again, shaking her. I put my palm near her nose, but there's no warm breath. I roughly shove my index and middle fingers onto the side of her neck, just below her jaw bone. I am expecting to feel the pulse beat surely against my fingers.

Instead, there is nothing.

"Mitchie!" I scream over and over again. "Mitchie! MITCHIE! NO!" I slap her face a few times, but she is completely unresponsive. Her lips are bluer now, and I begin panicking even more. How long has she been unconcious? I strain to remember what I learned all those years ago, what to do if a person is unconcious and not breathing. Slowly, I pinch her nostrils shut and sink my mouth onto hers, blowing all the air in my lungs into hers. Her chest rises, and I pull back, placing my hands over where her heart should be.

"One, two, three, four, five," I count out loud. I repeat this for about a minute.

"Come on, Mitchie, breathe!" I cry desperately. Tears form in my eyes. She still hasn't responded. My body shakes with silent sobs as I try one last time to revive her. After the five chest compressions, I sit back on my heels and watch her for a second.

Nothing.

A small sound escapes from my mouth, a cross between a sob and a squeak. The tears that have been building in my eyes spill over, and I don't bother to wipe them away. Soon, I am sobbing freely. I've never cried this much over someone before, not even when we had to put our family dog to sleep. Not when I fell off my swingset and broke my arm. Not when my grandpa had a heart attack and died. But now I was crying uncontrollably, and there was no way I was going to stop anytime soon. I picked up Mitchie's limp form and held her close, sobbing into her hair. I slowly rock back and forth. I just lost my girlfriend, my best friend, the who I could tell anything to. The one who I was always there for, and the one who was always there for me. I lost my everything. I sniffed and sobbed harder, pulling her closer.

Suddenly, a few weak coughs came from Mitchie's mouth.


	11. Chapter 10

**Mitchie POV**

My throat stung, and each breath burned. The last thing I remembered was the darkness of the water surrounding me, and then suddenly, I was on the shore, in Shane's arms as he cried and repeated my name over and over. My body reacted automatically, and I began coughing. Weakly at first, then stronger. I couldn't stop, couldn't breathe. I was vaguely aware that Shane was asking me if I was alright, and helping me up into a sitting position. Black spots appeared in my vision again, but I fought against them with everything I had. I won, but by the time it was over, I was exhausted.

"Mitchie, don't you _ever_ scare me like that again!" Shane cried, crushing me gently to his chest. I sighed and just laid there, too tired to do anything else. Thunder rumbled not too far off, making both of us jump. Shane stood up with me still in his arms, and began heading towards the lake house.

"Shane, what are you doing?" I rasped. My throat felt raw and thick, like I had been at a screaming at a concert.

"There's a storm coming, and there's no way we'll be able to make it back to your house in time," he replied simply. I frowned. I knew he was right, but when my parents asked where we were, I would have to tell them what happened. I knew that if they knew about the lake and the house, and what happened today, they would never let me come back here. When I voiced my worries to Shane, he simply said, "So we'll sneak in through the back door of my house, then tell your parents that we were there the entire time." I frowned again, but allowed myself to be carried to the lake house anyway.

Somehow Shane managed to get the door open, even with me in his arms, and he carried me to the bathroom where we'd moved the towels. I sat on the edge of the bathtub as I dried my hair, knowing that if I stood up right now, I would probably fall; I felt so weak and unbalanced, probably due to the lack of oxygen my body got for however long I was out. After changing into some spare clothes we kept there, Shane scooped me up again and placed me on the mattress. I curled up on my side, wrapping my old baby quilt around me as I did. Shane laid down next to me, and we stared into each others eyes for a while. But something about his eyes bugged me. Throughout the entire summer, his eyes had been lit up and alive. Now they were dull, and seemed dead, like he was burning up on the inside.

"What's wrong, Shane?" I asked, lifting my hand to stroke his arm. "And don't you dare tell me nothing, because I can see it in your eyes." Shane sighed and rolled over onto his back. I propped myself up onto my elbow and stared intently at him.

"Come on, Shane. You can tell me," I prompted. Shane sat up and buried his face in his hands.

"Do you have any idea how scared I was today, Mitchie?" he asked in a quiet voice. I reached out to touch his shoulder, and he looked up. I realized he was crying, and I sat up and wrapped my arms around him.

"I'm sorry. I'm so, so sorry," I kept repeating.

"I thought I'd lost you," he continued, in a voice so quiet I had to strain to hear. "You have no idea how scared I was."

"Then tell me," I urged. "Get it all out."

"Mitchie, you had no pulse!" he exclaimed, his tone suddenly frustrated. It startled me, but I refused to let go of him. I knew he needed to be assured that I was alive and next to him.

"You had no pulse, and I though that you were gone. You were dead and I thought that you would never come back! You mean absolutely everything to me, Mitchie. I don't know what the hell I would do if you left me." He turned so that he could pull me up onto his lap, and I kept my arms secured around his neck.

"I'm here," I soothed him. "I'm here. I'm not going anywhere."

* * *

Later, when the rain stopped, we quickly snuck back to Shane's uncle's house, then exited through the front door after explaining everything to Shane's aunt and uncle, minus the me-drowning-and-having-no-pulse thing. My mom was waiting for us at the front door, and quickly opened the screen as she saw us walking up the pavement.

"Where have you two been?" she practically screeched in our ears. "I have been worried sick! Dylan said that he'd seen you around town, but then you disappeared."

"We're fine, mom. We were over at Shane's uncle's house, 'cause Shane wanted to leave his jacket there. We were going to come back over, but then it started thundering and lightning and raining, and his aunt and uncle told us to stay there till the rain stopped," I said, surprised at how easily the lie came out. I've never been a good liar, and it made me feel guilty that my mom seemed to believe it.

"Alright, well I'm glad that you stayed there instead of trying to come here."

"I know, mom, lightning could strike us, and we could die." I hugged her and retreated to the living room. Shane followed me, and we curled up on the couch together to watch television. Dylan was already there, but he got up and left as soon as he saw us on the couch together.

"You guys are disgusting," he teased us with a smirk. I threw a pillow at him, and he stuck out his tongue and followed my mom into the kitchen. The day's events seemed to sink in then, and I felt my eyelids drooping. I nestled my head in the crook of Shane's neck, knowing that it was pointless to try and fight the fatigue. I let myself slip into a dreamless slumber as Shane put his arm around me and pulled me closer.

* * *

When I woke up, it was dark out, and I was much too comfortable to be on the couch. Something long and warm was draped across my side, and a soft _wooshing_ sound was coming from outside the house. Slowly, as my brain cleared a little, I realised that I was on my bed, and that it was Shane's arm that was draped across me. I heard him snoring softly, and smiled to myself. Only my mom would allow her daughter's boyfriend not only sleep over, but trust him enough to sleep in the same bed as said daughter. As sleep claimed me again, I snuggled closer to Shane and took his hand in mine.

* * *

**Okay, first off, I am soooooooooooooo freakin' sorry that I haven't updated in literally over a year and a half. Second, I'm proud of you guys for waiting so patiently for a year and a half for this chapter! Especially the ones who were so impatient before. And speaking of which, I accept all of your apologies. I wan'st mad at you, per se. I was more frustrated that people seemed to think that I didn't have a life outside of fanfiction. But anyway,s I'm back, and hopfully it won't take me another year and a half to get the next chapter up. I already know what I want to heppen, but I can't seem to piece all the things together, so please bear with me.**

**Also, I have a few conflicts with updating. I recently got my permit (which gives you an idea of how old I am, which also means you now know why my writing sucks compared to some other authors), which means I'm attending driving school. In the summer. Fuuuuuuuuuuun. I've also been going all over the country on trips and retreats, two examples being a mission trip with my church, and a retreat with my church and another from the town over. And in three weeks or so, I'll be heading off to New Jersey, where my grandparents live, to help out some family friends who run a day care program. I can promise you that I will have my laptop with almost at all times. What I can't promise is that I'll get very far with this story. They only have dial up, and there's no WiFi in their house.**

**Feel free to sheck out some of my other stories that I've been a little better about updating. Or something. (Normally I don't do this, but I feel that they haven't been getting enough attention. Just kidding.)**

**Review please?**


	12. Chapter 11

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything that has to do with Camp Rock. Nor do I own Loch Arbour, which is, in fact, a real villiage in New Jersey.**

**Ok, you guys got lucky. I was in a very creative mood today, but my sister had my computer, so I went upstairs to my room and wrote down this chapter. And then I fell asleep, which is why this wasn't up earlier. I swear, I've become nocturnal. Or something. Summer always messes up my sleep patterns. ANYWAYS happy reading!**

* * *

I shifted in my seat on the bus, and out of the corner of my eye, I saw Shane shift in response. I rolled my eyes, but somehow kept my annoyance to myself. I knew that he was still worried that I might get hurt again, or something like that. I'll admit, I thought it was sweet at first, but as a week passed, I found myself getting more and more annoyed at him for it. He insisted on following me everywhere, only leaving when my mother kicked him out each night.

We were headed to the mall so I could shop for school supplies, and, much to my annoyance, Shane had insisted on coming along with me. My mom, of course, thought it was a great idea. So now, I was stuck with Shane following me around all day as I went from store to store. He trailed after me like a lost puppy, even when I moved on from school supplies to clothes. I thought guys weren't supposed to like shopping, but not only did he not complain once, he actually seemed to be enjoying himself.

However, my annoyance slowly began to ebb as Shane and I sat down for lunch. He'd insisted on buying, since I'd spent most of my money on school supplies. He also scooted into the booth beside me when we were seated and resumed his old habit of playing with my little finger.

"So what's been with you today, Mitch?" Shane asked casually as the waitress took our plates away. "You seem, well, pissed or something." He tried to look me in the eyes, but I refused to look up and meet his gaze.

"It's just that, ever since the lake thing," I began, "you've been way too protective. I almost never get a private moment to myself."

"Sorry," he said sincerely. "I just don't want to let you out of my sight in case, you know-"

"I _do_ know. But you have to trust that I can take care of myself, and that nothing will happen," I told him softly, leaning on his shoulder. Our dessert came then, and I began to sit up so he could use his arm again, but he pulled me closer to him and dabbed some whipped cream from his sundae on my nose. I frowned playfully at him, and wiped chocolate sauce down his face, grinning cheekily. He stuck his tingue out and I laughed at how ridiculous he looked.

After paying for our food, we wandered aimlessly around the mall, hand in hand, all my irritation towards Shane gone. Once again, people began snapping pictures of us together, but instead of hiding my face, I held my head high this time. I wasn't ashamed to say that I had completely fallen for Shane Gray. We ended up goofing off and taking pictures of each other in ridiculous hats and outfits, until we were informed that the mall was about to close for the night. The two of us review the pictures on the way home, thankful that we had the entire bus to ourselves; we could laugh as loud as we wanted, and non one else would hear besides Shane, myself, and the bus driver.

"When we get home, I'm printing this one out and framing it," Shane declared.

"Oh no you won't!" I teased back. He was pointing at a picture of me in and over-sized floppy sun hat and bright pink Kanye West shades. I pointed at a picture of the two of us; me smiling nicely in the same hat and shades, and Shane wearing a Disney Princesses hat and making a crazy face.

"I'm keeping this one forever," I declared, mostly because I knew it would annoy him.

"Evil," he growled playfully in my ear.

* * *

"I had fun today," I smiled as we walked up my front steps. Already, it was almost nine, and I knew that my mom would kick Shane out before he could even set a single foot inside the house. So, I stretched up on my toes to give him a quick good night kiss, then turned to open the door.

"I love you, Mitchie," Shane murmured.

"Love you too, Shane," I replied, then stepped inside, my mind far away. A new though had just occured to me.

In two weeks, summer would be ending. Me and all my classmates would go back to school, and Shane would leave Loch Arbour again, and go back to California. I really didn't want things to end the way they did five years ago, but I also couldn't see how we would be able to work it out. Everyone knows that long-distance relationships never work, not even with friends. When you move somewhere new, sure, you keep in touch with your old friends, but only for a while. Soon, you make new friends, and over the weeks and months, you begin to have less and less contact with each other until you almost don't know them at all. I slumped to the ground and covered my face with my hands.

What was I going to do?

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**Aaaaaannd... DONE!**

**Like I said at the top, I honestly think you're lucky I wrote it down on paper. For some reason, I come up with better idea when I actually write it out, rather than type it. When I type things, I come up with such unrealistic ideas, and then nothing fits together, and then I have to go back and fix everything. I think that's partially what took me so long with the last chapter. I typed the entire thing originally, but kept coming up with crappy ideas, so I finally gave up, wrote it on paper, and retyped it on here.**

**Anyways, I not only wrote this chapter, but the rest of the story. It makes me sad to realize how close this is to ending, especially since even I didn't anticipate it ending so soon. Don't worry, there are still at least five more chapters left in this story, and a sequel in the making. And trust me, even I didn't know what was going to happen until I actually wrote it. It's amazing what plot bunnies will do when you aren't paying attention. I think it's not that bad of an idea, but it'll torture you guys. But once again, don't worry. I promise that there will be a sequel.**

**Please review!**


	13. Chapter 12

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything that has to do with Camp Rock. Shoot me.**

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Okay, here's the thing: I trust Shane. I trust him with my life, especially after he saved it after the Lake Incident. I trust him to be there for me, and to have my back, and to tell me the truth, even if it hurts worse than a lie would.

But when he puts a blindfold over my eyes and insists on carrying me to a surprise he has for me at seven at night, yeah. That's when I have an issue.

I knew instantly when we were in the woods; I could hear the leaves crunching beneath Shane's feet, and it smelled like wood and moss. The sunlight was fading, and the cover of trees made it seem even darker in the woods. I had a pretty good idea of where Shane was taking me, but my only question was _why? _And how did he get my mom to agree to this? I was sorely tempted to rip the blindfold off, but I knew that would just upset Shane, and that was the last thing I wanted to do; we only had a week left until summer was over. Suddenly, a sweet scent filled my nose, and I leaned away from Shane, inhaling deeply, trying to identify the smell.

"Shane, what's that smell?" I asked when I failed to put a name to the scent. I heard Shane laugh.

"You'll see," he said mischieviously, setting my feet on a solid surface- nothing like the forest floor. I held perfectly still as Shane untied the cloth blindfold and gently lifted it from my face. I couldn't help but gasp when my eyes focused.

The entire lake was outlined by flickering rose-colored candles, leading all the way up to the porch of the lake house, where Shane and I stood. It was like a scene from a movie. Shane's arms snaked around my shoulders, and I held his hand there, unwilling to move.

"This is amazing, Shane," I said softly.

"I had help from Dylan," he admitted. Neither of us poke louder than a whisper, like the atmosphere of the lake would be ruined if we spoke too loudly. Shane slowly pulled me back so I was leaning against his chest. I closed my eyes, never wanting to move. I wanted to freeze this moment and live in it forever, but I sighed as my mind reminded I would only be able to stay like this for a week. After that, Shane would have to go back to California, and I would stay behind, stuck in Loch Arbour. Shane spun me around and lifted my chin, forcing me to look in his eyes.

"Mitch, what's wrong?" I pulled my face from his grasp, and walked to the stairs, my back to Shane. I sighed again, and Shane appeared by my side.

"Mitchie, tell me what's wrong," he insisted. I slowly sat on the stairs, wrapping my arms around myself.

"It's nothing," I said. I knew he knew I was lying. I felt him sit down next to me and take one of my hands in his. "It's just, I'm worried about what will happen when you have to leave." Shane groaned, letting go of my hand.

"Mitchie, I can promise you, nothing is going to happen. Because I'm not going back." I stared at him in shock, my jaw dropping open.

"What?" I gaped at him. "What about the band?" There was no way I was going to let him break up Connect 3. _Especially _over me.

"Jason and Nate will maanage with out me," he said simply, shrugging his shoulders. "They were sick of me anyway.

"No," I contradicted, "they were sick of your _attitude_. But you've changed now, I can tell. You're way different than the Shane Gray who first came here at the beginning of this summer." I pointed at his chest. "_This _is the Shane Gray I remember from my childhood, the one who would climb trees just to talk. The one who I made a blood promise with."

"Yeah, and this is the Shane Gray that disappeared he left!" Shane exclaimed, standing up. He pulled me up by my upper arms so that I was standing too. "Hollywood corrupted me. It changed me until I was someone completely different! I don't _want_ to go back! If I go back, I'll change again, and I would lose you in the process!" He shook my shoulders roughly a few times, and he was beginning to scare me. I lifted my arms to push his hands off of me.

"Stop it, Shane!" I cried, stumbling backwards. "I don't like it either! It killed me, Shane, to see you change. It killed me on the inside!"

"Then why do you want me to leave?"

"I **don't**!" I screamed."I don't want you to leave! But I also don't want you to break up Connect 3 over me!" We stared harshly at each other for a few moments. Shane turned away from me, and I deflated; my shoulder slumped forward in defeat, but my anger was still burning inside of me.

"Do what you want, Shane. Just don't string me along." I ran down the porch steps, leaving him behind. As I walked through the woods towards my house, I couldn't help but wish that Shane would come crashing through the brush, and we would make up and everything would be fine. But he never did, and so I locked myself in my room, nursing my broken heart in solitude.

What hurt the most, though, was the fact that he had the audacity to lay his hands on my. When he had shaken me, I'd seen a glimpse of Hollywood shane. He'd hurt me, but physically and emotionally, and when I'd told him not to string me along, I'd meant it. If that was the way he was going to treat me every time we got in a fight, I didn't want anything to do with him.

I laid there without sleeping the entire night, just listening to the rain fall. Around seven, I heard my dad get up and start cooking breakfast, my mom getting up not long after he did. I could hear their voices, low and secretive, but I couldn't make out and distinct words. I knew they were talking about me, though. I'd seen their concerned expressions when I'd slammed the front door and stomped up the stairs, disappearing for the rest of the night.

I sighed, pushing myself up in my bed. I knew I'd have to face them eventually. Might as well get it over with. I checked the mirror quickly before heading out the door, and regretted it as soon as I saw myself. My hair was a mess, al tangled and piled up on top of my head like a nest, and I had dark shadows under my eyes. But worst of all, just barely visible under the sleeves of the t-shirt I had changed into, were hand-shaped bruises. A mixture between a sob and a scream tried to force its way out of my throat, but I managed to bite it back.

I peeked down the hall as my door creaked open, then tip-toed my way down the stairs, making sure to skip over the squeaky one.

"-idea what happened. When she lefft, she was so happy, and you saw her when she got back," I heard my mom say. My dad was about to respond when I stepped through the door.

"Morning," I mumbled, crossing to the fridge and pulling out the orange juice. I kept my back to them, hoping to hide the bruises, afraid of what they might say. However, my mother's stifled gasp told me that they has seen the bruises anyway.

"Mitchie," my mom crooned softly, "what happened to you last night?" I turned my head to deny anything ever happened, pointless as it may seem. But all thoughts of denial and staying strong vanished when I saw the worry and concern in her eyes. Instead, I broke down, allowing her to hold me and stroke my hair as if I was a little child again as I sobbed into her arms.

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**OOOOOH! Shane screwed up BIG TIME! 'Course I already knew that, though.**

**Okay, so this chapter didn't go as I'd originally planned. But then I had a really crappy day. First, I kept getting interrupted and ignored, my mom started pissing me off, and my laptop broke and now won't charge, all in one day. And, to top it all off, my mom got me up early 'cause we had to go to a Driver's Ed class thing, and I am _so _no a morning person. SO, I took my frustration out on the characters... which is not usually a good idea... but in this case it worked out and everything's fine! Sort of.**

**ANYWAYS, because of my crappy day and the fact that I took it out on the innocent little character thingies, this story is going to be a chapter shorter. Originally, this was going to be a Smitchie fluff-y chapter and stuff and the next chapter was going to be the whole problem thing. But then life happened, and I'm sorry. Next chapter is the epilogue.**

**And I'm too lazy to create a whole new story, so I'm just gonna make it part 2 to this story. I already have a few chapters for that written. (Actually I have like 6, and I'm working on the seventh, so MAYBE you'll get more than one chapter today).**

**Please review!**


	14. Epilogue

**Disclaimer: You know the drill. I own nothing relating to Camp Rock or its characters. I only own any characters I make up and the plot line. Unfortunately.**

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A sense of déjà vu washed over me as I stood in front of my window. Everything was exactly like five years ago- my blinds were rolled up and my curtains were pulled back to let the sunlight in, Dylan was off with his friends somewhere, and I was watching from my bedroom window as Shane left Loch Arbour for Hollywood. I could make out two other silhouettes in the limo, presumably Jason and Nate.

I had told my parents and Dylan everything, including what happened that day a few weeks ago at the lake. My dad had looked absolutely murderous when I'd showed them the bruises Shane's hands had left on my arms.

"It's not worth it," I had responded when he'd asked me if I wanted to press charges. If what happened five years ago happened again this time, I would just be a distant memory to Shane by the time Christmas rolled around.

I watched silently as Shane hugged his aunt and uncle good-bye. Even as I saw him load his suitcases and guitar into the trunk, my eyes remained clear. I wouldn't allow myself to hurt over a guy who had hurt me. Shane glanced up at my window, then did a double-take as he realized I was standing there. He raised his hand as if to wave good-bye, a small smile forming on his lips, and I snapped my blinds shut, blocking him out.

A few minutes later, when the doorbell rang, I knew exactly who it would be. I also knew that I probably shouldn't answer it, but I did anyway.

"What do you want?" I demanded, glaring up at him.

"Mitchie, look-"

"No, you look!" I roled up my sleeves to show him the slightly yellowing bruises his hands had left.

"Oh, my God.."

"Yeah, 'Oh, my God' is right! How _dare _you!" I shrieked shrilly. "How _dare_ you lay a hand on me! I can't believe I trusted you! All you've ever done is get my hopes up, and then hurt me!"

"Mitchie, I'm sorry!" His eyes were pleading, desperate for me to forgive him.

"No, you're not! If you were, you would have come after me that night! You would have followed me!"

"I thought you needed to calm d-"

"Well you thought wrong! You never came at all! Not once during this entire week did you show up on my doorstep trying to apologize!" I was furious now, my hands shaking as I fought the urge to punch him in the face. "I can't believe I actually let myself lo-"

"What?"

"Just get out. Go back to your perfect Hollywood life. See if I care."

"Mitchie, please don't do this."

"Get out! Go away!"

"Mitchie, I refuse to end things between us like this. This is exactly what happened last time, and I don't want to leave here knowing that you hate me. I love you, Mitchie, and I really am sorry." I shook my head slowly, backing out of the doorway.

"Good-bye Shane." I closed the door in his face and watched from the kitchen window as Shane got into the limo and drove off down the street.

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**Short, I know, but I'll have the first chapter to part two up hopefully within the hour.**


	15. Part 2: Chapter one

**Disclaimer: I don't own Camp Rock. Plain, simple, and true.**

**Okay, so a Part 2 takes place about twenty years later. Long, I know. Shane and Mitchie haven't seen each other once since she kicked him off her porch. Connect 3 faded, then came back a few years ago, and everyone who is a girl between the ages of 12 and 19 are like obsessed with them again. Mitchie still has a grudge against Shane (I've seen people hold grudges for longer) so yeah. That's about it. Everything else will be explained in the story. Oh, and, once again, the entire story will be in Mitchie's POV unless I say otherwise.**

**SO, I hope that you enjoy this while I practically rip my skin off because of all these stupid bug bites!**

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I blared my horn as some idiot cut me off. I was already stressed enough without having to worry about being in an accident. My 4-year-old looked up from her coloring book as I slammed on the brakes, spitting out a steam of swears.

"Mommy, you said a lot of bad words. Do you have to go to time-out?" I looked at her through the rear-view mirror. Already, I could tell her resemblance to her father, with her white-blonde hair and sky blue eyes.

"I'm sorry, baby. Mommy's just a little stressed out, and the person in front of us just did something they're not supposed to." Katharine nodded, as if she knew exactly what I was talking about, and went back to coloring. We managed to make it to the middle school without another incident, and I easily picked out my oldest daughter from everyone else waiting for rides.

"Mitchie!" I called out the window. No one called me Mitchie anymore, instead opting for my full name, Michelle. But when my late husband decided he wanted to name our first daughter after me, my parents decided to call her by my old nickname, which eventually my husband and I adopted too. So, I suppose it wasn't much of a surprise that she resembled me so much. I mean, sure, she has blue eyes and is taller than I was at thirteen, but otherwise the similarity is uncanny.

"Hi Mittie!" I smiled at the name Katie had christened her sister with. When she was younger, she couldn't pronounce the 'ch', so she called her 'Mittie' instead. In return, Mitchie called Katie 'Duck' because she used to point at everything and call it a duck.

Mitchie slid into the seat next to her sister, and we set off towards our house. We lived in Guilford, Connecticut, a town too much like Loch Arbour for my tastes, but my daughters had grown up here, so I knew it suited them just fine. Mitchie attended Adams Middle School, and Katie went to Guilford Lakes Elementary school. I worked at the high school, teaching Chorus, No Bass and Voice Class. I occasionally wrote songs, but it was becoming less and less frequent now. Mitchie was following exactly in my footsteps; she loved to sing and dance, and played too many instruments than I could afford. Kaite, on the other hand, was following in her father's footsteps. She hated dresses and skirts, and refused to go near anything pink. While she liked music, she liked to play in the mud more, or play with Legos. She could spend hours playing with them, building houses and castles, and she would never get bored.

"Go do your homework, Mitchie," I said, taking off my jacket and hanging it up in the closet. Mitchie nodded and sat down at the table. Katie sat down next to her as Mitchie pulled out a notebook, the two of them whispering back and forth. I smiled at them, then walked to the kitchen. Might as well start on dinner. Anything beats doing paperwork and grading things. As I opened up the cabinet, something fluttered down and landed at my feet. I stooped to pick it up and sighed when I saw what it was

A Camp Rock brochure.

I remembered Camp Rock very well, especially how it was the place the ultimately took my best friend away. I sighed again and leaned against the counter, remembering how everything changed after Shane came back from Camp Rock. And now, there was only one person in this family who was old enough to go. It seemed like this camp insisted on being a recurring motif in my life.

"Oh, good, ou found it," my daughter remarked as she came into the kitchen, looking for a snack, no doubt.

"Yes, and I'd like to know why you couldn't just tape it to the fridge" I teased back, setting the brochure on the counter and crossing my arms.

"Oh, come on, Mom, you know you'd never noticed it." I'l admit, it was true. All three of us go past that thing and open it everyday without really noticing what we had put up on it.

"Alright, I'll give you that one," I grinned, putting my arm around her.

"Can I trade it in for a summer at Camp Rock?" She grinned back. I kissed her forehead and ruffled her hair.

"I'll think about it."

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**Soooooo... whad'ya think? Good? Bad? Don't care at all? Tell me in a review please!**


	16. Chapter Two

**Disclaimer: I don't own Camp Rock. And I'm too lazy to come up with some witty sentence saying that I don't own it.**

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**"Oh, my gosh, I can't believe we're here!" Mitchie exclaimed as we pulled up to the camp. SHe began bouncing in her seat, staring out the window. I laughed, and Mitchie turned back towards me.

"Thank you, Mom! Thank you, like, a million times!"

I had contacted Brown Cessario, the director of the camp, and explained my situation. I told him how my daughter was dying to come to this camp, and of all the expenses from the funeral and the bills. And then he'd offered me an instructing job here. Their normal voice instructor was on maternity leave. He'd even said that I could bring Katie along. Mitchie jumped out of the car before it had even stopped all the way and grabbed her suitcase, taking off down the path to her cabin.

I'll admit, while I wasn't exactly thrilled to be teaching again during the summer, the camp didn't look as bad as I'd thought it would be. Brown had arranged for me to stay with Katie and another counselor, and Mitchie would be in a different cabin with other girls her age.

Katie clung tightly to my hand like a life line as I wandered around, trying to find Brown. He'd said to find him as soon as we got there, but the director's cabin was proving difficult to find. Mitchie, on the other hand had no problem finding us as we explored.

"Mom! Mom!" She ran up, her cheeks flushed with excitement. "There are these two girls in my cabin, Rachel and Amanda, and they say that there's going to be a celebrity instructor this year!"

I know I shouldn't have, but I tuned her out as I continued to wander around the camp. By now, I was hopelessly lost, and Katie was insisting on being carried. I was vaguely aware of Mitchie telling me who her cabinmates thought the celebrity instructor was going to be, but I didn't catch their name.

"Did you know he went to this camp once?" Mitchie asked, tugging on my sleeve.

"That's great, Honey."

"What are you looking for?"

"The director's cabin."

"Oh, you mean Brown? His cabin is right there." Mitchie pointed to the cabin on our right. I sighed and smacked myself in the face. That was pathetic. Mitchie grinned at my expression as I led her over to the cabin and knocked on the door. The door creaked open, revealing a middle-aged man.

"Hello," he greeted, holding out his hand. "Brown Cessario. And you must be Michelle Zingale, our new vocal instructor!"

"That,s me," I smiled, shaking his hand. "And these are my daughters."

"Ah yes, Mitchie and Katie." Mitchie nodded, and Katie waved shyly, sticking her thumb in her mouth. Brown stepped aside and waved the three of us into the cabin so he could explain everything to me. As Brown explained the ground rules to me, Mitchie walked around the room in awe, staring at the guitars, with Katie trailing after her. I had just finished signing the contract when I heard the door open and close again, and I quickly looked up to make sure my daughters were still there. Sure enough, Mitchie had Katie's hand in hers, and they were examining signatures on a cherry-red electric guitar.

"Hey, Uncle Brown," A man's voice said from the doorway. I glanced at the person over my shoulder, and my eyes widened in disbelief. Brown and I stood at the same time; Brown so he could hug the man- his nephew, apparently- and me, debating whether or not I should grab my daughters and run. Too late, I decided to run, and the man's attention turned to me.

He whipped his sunglasses from his eyes and we stared at each other from across the room for a few moments. I was doing my best to pretend I didn't know him, hoping and praying with every fiber of my being that he didn't recognize me. Time and time again, fate had brought us together, and each time, it had ended in disaster. Maybe if I was able to keep my identity from him, I just might make it out alive this time. Fate wasn't so cruel that he would recognize me, right? Fate owed me this one little thing.

"Mitchie?"

Screw you, fate.


	17. Chapter Three

**Disclaimer: I don't own Camp Rock.**

**Okay, so I randomly remembered something I learned from ninth grade English: dopplegangers. Dopplegangers are people who look a lot like you, and even act like you. Possibly. Sometimes they even has the same or similar names. And, if you meet them, bad things happen to you (They're used in stories all the time). Young Mitchie is Mitchie's Doppleganger in this story, so I guess it's not completely fate's fault that Shane is back. So, yeah. Just wanted to share that with you guys!**

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**"Yeah?" I nearly laughed out loud when my daughter responded. I both loved and hated my parents for giving her my old nickname right now. Mitchie appeared at my side, Katie grasping the back of her shirt.

"Ohmygosh!" Mitchie exclaimed. "It's you! Amanda and Rachel were right! I told you, Mom, see? I told you!" She began squealing and jumping. Did I mention that my oldest daughter was the definition of a crazed fan girl?

"Girls," Brown interrupted, "this is my nephew-"

"SHANE GRAY!" Mitchie screamed like she was at a concert. "Oh my gosh, I can't believe it's really you!" Yet another thing that differed between us: She loved Shane Gray and idolized him, I was still holding a grudge against him from when I was sixteen. I was still partially frozen in shock. I hadn't seen him in twenty years, not since I'd closed the door in his face. I mean, sure, I'd seen him on TV and in posters, but this was the first time in twenty years that we were actually face-to-face.

I was suddenly self-concious about the way I looked. I looked nothing like I had at 16; I had grown my bang out a long time ago and dyed my hair to a brown so dark, it was almost black. I was dressed in jeans, and had an open red plaid shirt on with a pink cami underneath **(Picture Demi in the Can't Back Down music video. Just older)**. My face was covered with the beginnings of wrinkles, and my hair was starting to sprout grays- I'd forgotten to dye it before we came here. And, of course, I had two young girls standing next to me calling me 'Mom'.

Girls, come on, you have to get settled in," I said, beginning to become uncomfortable. I began to shift nervously, my eyes never leaving his.

"Already settled!" Mitchie announced proudly.

"Oh, just come one!" I said, grabbing her wrist, finally ending the stare-off between me and Shane, and pulled her out the door with me.

"Bye Shane!" She called back over her shoulder.

**.:X:.**

How the hell was I supposed to explain this to my kids? Shane and his big Goddamn mouth were bound to let something slip, and Lord knows Mitchie would never let me live it down.

"He knew my name, Mom!" Mitchie gushed as I led her back to my cabin. She had a dreamy look in her eyes that I knew used to be in mine when I was sixteen and I thought of Shane. I knew he was way too old for her, and so did she. But that didn't stop her from crushing on him. Katie stared at her sister as if she'd grown another head and thre more arms.

"Mommy, I think she's gon loopy," Katie whispered to me, loud enough that Mitchie would hear. Mitchie stopped smiling and glared down at Katie.

"So do I," I whispered back, just to annoy Mitchie. Katie stuck het tongue out at Mitchie.

"Ha ha, very funny guys," Mitchie said arcastiaclly. "And you-" she pointed at Katie "stick that thing out any farther, and it'll fall off." Katie's eyes widened, and she sucked her tongue back into her mouth.

"Oh yeah? Well how much wood would a woodchuck chuck if a woodchuck could chuck wood?" Now it was Mitchie's turn to stare at her sister.

"That's easy," she said after thinking for a moment. "A woodchuck would chuck as much wood as he could if a woodchuck could chuck wood." Mitchie gave a satisfied nod and stared ahead at the path. It was finally, finally quiet, something that almost never happened in my family anymore.

"Or would he?" Of course, Katie would continue it.

"Yeah, he would."

"Well, how do you know a woodchuck would chuck as much _wood _as he could. HE COULD CHUCK PEANUT BUTTER!"

"Really, girls?" This was getting really old, really fast.

"I win!" Katie grinned.

"Whatever."

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**I don't know, I ran out of ideas! And by the way, that was an actual conversation between me and one of my friends. Except the real conversation went on a LOT longer. And I know this chapter is short. trust me, it's A LOT longer in a notebook.**


	18. Chapter Four

**Disclaimer: I so own Camp Rock. Totally. It's crazy, the things I dream at night...**

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**Mitchie had taken Katie with her to the Open Mike Jam, leaving me by myself in the cabin, trying to come up with a suitable lesson plan. I had a list of what Brown wanted me to cover, including a sing-off at the end of camp. You'd think a high-school teacher would have no problem with this, but I couldn't figure out what order to put things in. The other instructor had failed to show up yet, though I _had _figured out that they were male. Knowing my luck, it would be Shane.

I dropped the pen I was using on the bed and rubbed my upper arms- something my parents had noticed I did when I talked or thought about Shane. I could hear the beat of whatever song was playing all the way from where I sat, and it was slowly driving me nuts. I pulled out my iPod from my bag and pressed play. The majority of the songs were actually recordings of either Mitchie or myself singing some of our favorite songs, including ones I had written. Some of the songs were even from wen I was about 18.

_There's a song that's inside of my soul  
It's the one that I've tried  
To write over and over again  
I'm awake in the infinte cold  
As you sing to me  
Over and over and over again_

I recognized the first song easily. I had written it about a month after Joe and I had first started dating. We'd been in college for about a year, and one night he showed up outside my dorm window with a guitar, a cheesy love song he'd heard on the radio, and a handful of pebbles. The only flaw in his plan was that he was throwing the pebbles too far to the right, and ended up hitting the window of the next room over.

_So I lay my head back down  
And I lift my hands and pray  
To be only yours  
I pray to be only yours  
I know now, you're my only hope_

I flipped to the next song, the memories too painful to handle right now, and found that the next song wasn't much better. I tried to tune it out, but when it came to the chorus, I found that I couldn't ignore it.

_Don't say you're sorry  
'Cause I'm not even breaking_

_I knew better than to let you break my heart  
This soul you're never see again  
Won't be showin' scars  
You still love her, I can see it in your eyes  
The truth is all that I can hear  
Every time you lie_

I yanked the headphones out of my ears, and threw my iPod across the room, thoroughly annoyed at my disastrous love life. And at the songs I'd written about it that my iPod decided to play.

That song had been the one I'd written a week after Shane left. He'd announced that he and Demi Lovato were dating, even though we'd never "officially" broken up. He'd also said that I was just a fan he'd hung out with for a day. Not even an old friend from before he was famous, and certainly not a girlfriend. I was just a fan. I knew it should have hurt me, but it didn't. Not one bit. It just made me furious at him. So I'd written a song about it. It could be about any break up, really, but only Shane would hear the message meant just for him if he ever heard it.

The cabin door opened as the iPod went flying past, hit the opposite wall, and crashed to the ground. The man standing there standing in the doorway looked bewildered and almost dropped the suitcase he was was holding, and I jumped up quickly.

"Easy there, killer," he joked, stepping into the room. He looked to be around my age, and had thick, curly black hair. His smile seemed to tease me.

"I am so sorry," I apologized quickly, crossing to where he stood. "I had no idea you were there!"

"That's okay. I'm Barron," he aid, sticking out his hand.

"Michelle," I said, shaking his hand. "I'm the new voice instructor."

"Well, it's very nice to meet you." I heard two sets of footsteps coming up the steps, and Barron barely managed to jump out of the way as my daughters threw the door open. Mitchie was half-dragging Katie behind her, and I could see that Katie could barely keep her eyes open. Barron looked curiously at me, and I smiled and picked Katie up.

"My daughters," I explained. Mitchie headed back to her cabin after a quick good night as I laid Katie down on the bed next to mine. Barron and I exchanged stories as we got ready for bed. I learned that he was a year older than Shane, and he had a wife and a ten-year-old son back in New Hampshire. Barron had come here every summer since he was 13, and he'd becom a dance instructor here the summer he turned 19.

"I've been instructing dance here for eighteen years," he said as we sat down on our beds. "But now Brown's made Shane Gray the dance instructor this year, and I'm just and assistant." I felt bad for him; he was another person who's summer had been ruined because of Shane Gray.

"That sucks, I'm sorry." Barron waved it off and reached for the light switch. The lights snapped off, and I laid back in my bed, unable to keep my thoughts from drifting to Shane. The last time I'd seen him, he couldn't remember my name, much less who I was, after just five years in Hollywood. Now, I haven't seen the egghead in twenty years, and he not only remembers me, but he recognized me. When I compare potos of me from when I was sixteen, and now, I barely recognize myself.

I sighed and rolled onto my side, too exhausted to think about it anymore. I'd had a long day, and tomorrow was going to be even longer.

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**I really don't like the way this chapter ended, so I'm going to try to put up another chapter today.**


	19. Chapter Five

**Disclaimer: I so own Camp Rock. Totally. It's crazy, the things I dream at night...**

**Look, guys, I'm really sorry things are going so slow. I wanted Mitchie to get settled in a little before the story REALLY began. But things WILL start moving. I promise.**

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**My head nodded forward for the third time that morning, and breakfast still had yet to end. I heard Barron laughing, and made an attempt to swat at him. However, al I managed to do was get a handful of milk and cereal, tip my bowl over onto my lap, and make Barron fall on the floor, laughing even harder than before. All of us at the table attempted to mop up the mess with napkins, but nothing could be done about the large wet spot on my shirt and jeans. I was Mitchie across the room put her hand up as a barrier between us, pretending I wasn't her mother. Slowly people stopped staring and went back to their own breakfasts, leaving my table alone.

Before I'd spilled my breakfast all over myself, Barron had introduced me to a couple of his friends from previous years. Caitlyn, the producing instructor, was sitting on my left, and Peggy, the song writing instructor, was sitting next to her. Sander, Lola and Ella were all still asleep, but Sander was a dancing instructor, and Lola and Ella shared the job of performance instructors.

They told me that Tess Tyler, one of the biggest pop performers (not to mention TJ Tyler's daughter), had come to this camp around the same time they had, and that she used to be the diva of the camp. I was surprised at how many stars had come here: Tess Tyler, The Jonas Brothers, some band members of Evanescece, and, of course, Connect 3. A lot of people who went here as campers grew up to be famous, regardless of whether or not they won Final Jam. The ones who didn't become famous, or didn't want to, usually ended up instructing here.

All my classes were in the afternoon, so I decided to explore the camp a little more. Believe it or not, I had only seen a portion of the camp while trying to find Brown's Cabin yesterday. I walked down around the docks, looking for something to do. Suddenly, two o'clock seemed days away. Everyone was in some sort of class- including Katie, who was shadowing Mitchie for the day- and the instructors who weren't teaching were catching up on sleep. But after the milk-and-cereal accident, I was wide awake. I sat heavily on the bench, making the dock wobble a bit. I'd never realized my lack of a life outside of being a teach and mother.

"So, I never really pegged you as the kind of person to name your daughter after you, but hey, you were always surprising me," a voice I recognized all too well said from behind me. I dug my fingers into the wood of the seat of the bench, staring intently at the lake as Shane sat down next to me, guitar in hand. Out of the corner of my eyes, I could see Shane smiling at me, and I rubbed my upper arms again.

"Hello, Mitchie," Shane smiled sweetly at me. "Fancy meeting you here after all these years."

"Michelle," I corrected stiffly. "My name is Michelle."

"Oh, come on, _Mitchie_." I could see him rolling his eyes. "Don't be like this. We're old friends, right?"

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"Oh, I think you do."

"No, I really don't. I'm just a fan you spent a day with, remember?" Shane's smirk disappeared as soon as the words were out of my mouth, and I fought the urge to shove him into the lake, guitar and all.

"Oh, that..."

"Yeah. _That_."

"I swear, Mitchie-"

"It's Michelle!"

"Fine! _Michelle_, I swear, my manager made me do it. He made me say that I never knew you. Something about bad image, or whatever."

"Oh, this is rich! I'm bad for your image, so you just completely deny our friendship _and _our relationship?" I was pissed now.

"Look, I'm sorry, okay? And the whole me-and-Demi thing was just for publicity for our movie!" I shook my head, still not over the fact that he'd denied ever knowing me because I was "bad for his image". It was as if our entire past had disappeared with his words.

"Mitchie, please, talk to me." His tone and eyes were pleading, but I was too furious to care.

"No, Shane. It's like you said: I don't even know you. And, if anyone asks, I will deny our entire friendship, just like you did." As I stood up to leave, he stood up too and grabbed my wrist, forcing me to turn back to him.

"Fine. I don't blame you for being mad. I would be too. But just remember this: I've regretted saying that for twenty years. I've never been in a real relationship for more than two weeks because every single one of those girls reminded me of you in some way or another, but they could never actually _be _you. I missed you, Mitchie. More than you can imagine." I stared blankly at him for a moment before pulling my wrist out of his hand.

"That was a nice little speech, Shane, but if you expect me to just fall into your arms and forgive you, you're sadly mistaken. This isn't the movies."Shane lowered his gaze to the ground and opened his mouth to say something, but I cut him off.

"But, I missed you too." I nodded a few times, then turned my back to him and walked off back towards the camp.

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**Hey, so I learned a new interesting fact today: Apparently carrot cake has pineapple in it. And, being stupidly adventurous as I am, I decided to try carrot cake for the first time today. Bad idea. Turns out I'm allergic to pineapple. Yeah, that was fun...**


	20. Chapter Six

**Disclaimer: I so own Camp Rock. Totally. It's crazy, the things I dream at night...**

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**Over the next week and a half, Mitchie continued to obsess over Shane, and I continued to ignore him. If he started to approach me, I would suddenly become very interested in my clipboard and walk in the other direction, or I would stat a conversation with Barron or Caitlyn or someone else. Katie was slowly emerging from her shell, and no longer required either me or Mitchie to be by her side at all times. I remember when I'd went through this with Mitchie, and how I'd been beside myself for a week when it happened. Of course, then I'd found out I was pregnant with Katie.

I found that the more I ignored Shane, the more annoying he got. A few times he'd followed me to my classes and peeked in through the windows. Yesterday, he'd gone so far as to stand in the back of the room as I taught. Quite a few times I'd debated whether or not it was worth it to go outside, find the biggest rock I could carry, and throw it straight at that pretty little face of his. And, of course, Mitchie wasn't helping at all.

"One day when I'm all grown up, I'm gonna marry Shane," She announced during breakfast, "and we'll have five kids and twelve dogs, and' we'll live in a great big mansion, and-"

"That's great, honey, except for one thing. Shane is my age. Actually, he's two years older than I am." I nearly laughed at her expression when I told her that. To be honest, Shane didn't look anywhere near 38; to me, he looked like he did when he was eighteen. Sure, a little aged, maybe, but he looked closer to Mitchie's age than he did to mine.

"Eww! He's that _old_?"

"Hey!"

"Well, if he's your age, why don't you marry him, or something?" I nearly choked on the coffee I'd been drinking.

"Excuse me?" My eyebrows shot up in shock.

"Well? You guys seem to know each other. Why aren't you at least friends with him?"

"Trust me, I don't know him at all. And besides, it I hadn't married your father, you wouldn't exist." Mitchie rolled her eyes, kissed my cheek and stood up to go to her first class.

"Mom, don't think I haven't heard the two of you fighting. I know you used to know him. I don't know how, but you did. You'd make a cute couple." She smiled at me and bounced off to where her friends were waiting for her. As soon as she was out the door, Shane slid into the seat Mitchie had just been sitting in.

"What do you want, Shane?" I asked in an annoyed voice staring straight ahead, refusing to look at him. I just hoped he didn't shadow me for the rest of the day. Then I _knew_ I was going to smash a rock into his face.

"World peace, to stop global warming, to-"

Now I did look at him. "You know what I mean." Shane grinned, and I rolled my eyes in response, staring straight ahead again.

"Fine, he said, his grin still evident in his voice. "I want to take you out on a date."

"No."

"Oh, c'mon, Mitchie. It's our day off. Why spend it here when we can leave for the day?"

"I never said I was going to spend it here. I just said that I'm not going on a date with you."

"Not even-"

"No, Shane. I'm still getting over the death of my _husband_." Shane winced a little when I said husband, and I knew he wished that it had been him that I married.

"Just one date, I promise. Tonight's the Campfire Jam," he said. "Instructors don't have to go."

"Shane, no. I just can't."

"Please? Just one? Here, I'll make you a deal We go on one date. That's it. And if you still want nothing to do with me, I'll leave you alone for the rest of the summer, other than things relating to camp." God, he just never gives up, does he? Although, I have to admit, Shane leaving me alone for the rest of the summer sounded too good to pass up. I knew it wouldn't apply come September 21, but by then Shane would be back in Hollywood with his band (who knew Connect 3 would last this long?), and Mitchie, Katie and I would be back to our normal routines of being too busy with schoolwork to care about anything else.

"Fine," I said, trying to hide the fact that I was smiling slightly.

"Meet me at the front entrance at 8," he said. "And, by the way, you're still horrible at hiding you smile." He winked at me, and then was gone, walking out the door of the mess hall.

I had a date with Shane Gray, my ex-best friend and ex-boyfriend, tonight. Shit, I was scared.

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**Oooooh Smitchie is back! Well, sorta. And I already wrote out the ending, so even if I'm having a bad day when I post the actual thing, the ending will still remain the same, so no worries.**


	21. Chapter Seven

**Disclaimer: I so own Camp Rock. Totally. It's crazy, the things I dream at night...**

**OOOH ITS THE SMITCHIE DATE CHAPTER!**

**Also, I don't own Sharpies. Like I own them, but I don't own the company... yeah. I don't know, it makes sense in my mind!**

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**I glanced anxiously at my watch again, shifting my weight to my other leg. Katie gripped my hand and stared around with her wide blue eyes. She'd refused to go to the Campfire Jam with Mitchie, which meant a change of planes for me and Shane. It was 8:17, and Shane had yet to show up. Back at the stage, I could hear someone wailing song lyrics into a mike.

"Mommy, look! A princess car!" I looked down the dirt road leading up to the camp, and sure enough, a white stretch limo was coming towards us. Katie bounced excitedly as I hoped fervently that it wasn't Shane in the limo. But, of course, it was.

"Hey, Mitchie. Hey..." he trailed off, realizing he didn't know my younger daughter's name.

"Katie. She wanted to come with us instead of going to the Campfire Jam, and I didn't want her throwing a tantrum in the middle of the camp." I looked apologetically at Shane, who simply nodded and held the door open for us. Katie insisted on sitting in the middle, and I stared out the window at the trees flying by.

"So, where are we going?" I asked when the trees disappeared, city lights replacing them. We'd already had dinner back at the camp with everyone else two hours ago, so I knew we weren't going to a meal.

"Nothing too fancy. I though we'd just get some ice cream and take a walk in the park." I nodded and turned my attention back out the window, butterflies fluttering nervously in my stomach. Wait, butterflies? No, bad Mitchie! You hate Shane! The sun hadn't completely set yet, but soon it would disappear over the horizon. The fading sunlight threw colors across the clouds, dyeing them orange and yellow and even purple in some places.

The driver dropped us off at the ice cream parlor and I took Katie's hand as we walked in together. Shane go chocolate, Katie got vanilla, and I got chocolate Chip Cookie Dough **(AN: Best ice cream flavor EVER! I LOVE it!) **As we were leaving, a worker handed Katie a balloon with the shop's logo on it, and I began searching through my purse, knowing what Katie would want to do. We sat on one of the park's benches until I found a Sharpie and handed it to Katie. After writing something for a minute or two, she handed the Sharpie back to me, and I wrote my own message on the balloon.

Katie stood up, and I knelt down next to her, my hand covering hers. On the count of three, we let go of the string together and watched the balloon float upwards until it was out of sight. I could feel Shane's gaze on us throughout the entire thing, so I told Katie to go play on the play ground, then sat back on the bench.

"What was that?" Shane asked, resting his arm casually on the back of the bench. I took a few calming breaths, getting rid of the lump that had risen in my throat before answering.

"When Katie was born, we found out that Joe's mother was dying of cancer. Katie doesn't remember her, but Mitchie took the news pretty hard. So Joe and I used to take her to the park and buy a balloon. We would take turns writing messages on it for Marie, then we would release it together. We told her that it would float up to Grandma Marie in heaven, and that she would be able to read what we had written."

"So, that was for her grandmother?"

"No, it was for her father. It's a healing exercise." I swallowed as the lump returned. "We release balloons for Joe every time we get, and it's really been helping the girls."

"But has it been helping you?" I shook my head silently. I didn't trust myself to talk. I hadn't told anyone but my parents and Dylan that, and here I was, spilling my guts to Shane. Maybe it was because we'd been best friends once, a long time ago. Tears began to prick my eyes.

No matter what I did, the hurt never left. It had faded a little since the accident, but it never completely went away. Shane hugged me closer, and I let him as the tears started to spill over. I felt embarrassed to be crying over another man in front of Shane, but something about another person being there to comfort me made it seem a little less awkward. It was almost as if we'd gone back in time, back to when we were inseparable, and could tell each other everything, and we would cry to each other all the time. As we got older, it became more and more awkward, until we just stopped crying in front of each other altogether. But now it was as if we were five and seven all over again- Shane just comforted me as best as he could while I ruined his shirt.

Eventually my tears became hiccups, and even when the hiccups subsided, Shane still held me, my head on his chest. And I let him. I hadn't realized how much I'd missed this. I was still sad about Joe's death, but something about the way Shane held me told me that he was willing to help me through it and be there for me, just like old times.

"You didn't fall asleep, did you?" he asked, his breath warm on my ear and sending shivers up my spine.

"No," I whispered. "No, I'm still awake." Shane slowly lifted his arm from my shoulders, and I unwillingly sat up. I sniffled a few times, wiping my still-wet cheeks with my sleeves and looked at my watch. It was already 9:30, and way past Katie's bedtime. Lights out for the campers was in thirty minutes and the instructors had to go around the camp, making sure that the lights really were out and the campers were in bed. I called Katie back over, and she ran back, yawning and rubbing her eyes. The limo was waiting for us back at the ice cream parlor, and the three of us climbed back in.

Half-way through the ride, Katie fell asleep, so I rested her head on my lap, stroking her hair. Shane's arm was draped casually around my shoulders, just like it had been all those years ago at the mall. I mentally slapped myself, reminding me that I couldn't live in the past. The entire ride was silent, and by the time we pulled up to the camp, I was beginning to go insane from the nothingness. I wouldn't last a day if I went deaf.

Shane walked back to my cabin with me, waiting patiently as I laid Katie down on her bed and came back outside. We made our rounds around the camp together, then continued walking. Eventually, we wound our way back down to the lake and sat down on a log, side by side.

"You know, when I came here, I used to sneak out at night and come down here, just to think," Shane said after a minute of silence. I turned to look at him and saw that he was just staring out at the lake, a distant look in his eyes. I lowered my gaze to my hands as he continued.

"Most of the time it was just to think about my future. You know, the normal questions of 'Who am I going to grow up to be?' That sort of thing." Shane looked at me, and I couldn't help but look back.

"If I'd known that this is what my life would be like in twenty-five years, I never would have competed in Final Jam." I blushed, instantly glad for the darkness.

"It's funny," I remarked quietly. "When we were little, I always used to imagine marrying you. I always though we'd still live in Loch Arbour, in that tiny lake house we'd found. God, I haven't been there in forever. It's probably all over grown and falling down by now." I leaned back on my hands, remembering that summer twenty years ago. We were so young, convinced we were in love. Looking back, I realized I had no idea what love was, not truly. I heard Shane sigh next to me.

"What happened to us, Shane?" I asked quietly, looking back at him. "We used to be so close, and just look at us now. We haven't seen each other in two decades." Shane shook his head sadly, letting his head drop until his chin was almost touching his chest.

"And that entire time, I was convinced you hated me. The last image I had of you was of you telling me to get out and closing the door in my face.

"I'm sorry," I said, taking his hand in mine, an action that surprised us both. His hand was freezing, but I couldn't seem to make myself let go. The next thing I knew, I was dozing off on Shane's shoulder, making him chuckle.

"Come on, we'd better get you to bed," Shane said, helping me to my feet. I mumbled something incoherent and began walking in the direction I thought me cabin was. However, I took a few steps and walked straight into something rough and hard, making me fall to the ground, much to Shane's amusement. I picked myself up off the ground, and was about to try again when Shane scooped me up.

"I don't trust you to walk right now," he joked. The last thing I remembered was wrapping my arms around his neck and closing my eyes.

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**Well... whatdya think? Please Review!**


	22. Chapter Eight

**Disclaimer: I so own Camp Rock. Totally. It's crazy, the things I dream at night...**

**The chapter is gonna be kinda short, and suck a lot 'cause I originally wrote it really late at night, and I really just don't have the energy to go back and change things. It's really just a filler chapter with Shane POV on everything so far. I'm working on other chapters in a notebook that I'm hoping my mom doesn't find, 'cause I will never live it down. And possibly never get it back.**

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****Shane POV**

Mitchie Torres. Or I guess she was Michelle Zingale, now. But whatever her name, she was still the same girl. The one I thought I'd never see again. And yet, here I was, carrying her sleeping form back to her cabin.

The first day of camp, when I'd walked into my Uncle Brown's cabin and noticed a woman sitting there, I hadn't given her a second thought. I'd figured it was just another instructor who needed to talk to Brown. But when she'd turned to face me, and I actually saw her, I couldn't believe my eyes. I never thought she'd come here, considering this place had changed everything between us. I can still remember the look of shock and fury when I told her I was moving to Hollywood.

For a while, I'd mourned the loss of my best friend; I mean, who wouldn't? We'd been inseparable since I was seven. Eventually, though, Nate and Jason became my best friends. I still feel guilty about forgetting her. But even more than that, I felt guilty about hurting her- even after 20 years.

So, you can imagine my shock when she'd said yes to going on a date with me. I was completely prepared for her to scream at me again, and to ultimately say no, but, as usual, she'd surprised me and said yes. Tonight had been amazing, even if if hadn't gone as I'd anticipated. Mitchie's daughter, Katie, was an absolute sweetheart, and Mitchie had allowed me to hold her and comfort her while she'd cried, which I'd found incredible. A week ago, she'd been alternating between giving me the cold shoulder and screaming at me.

And now she was practically passed out in my arms.

It was almost eleven when I got back to her cabin, but the light was still on. I could see two silhouettes through the window, a taller one who was just standing, and a shorter one who had their face pressed up against the window. As I stepped into the circle of light from the porch light, the smaller silhouette ran to the door.

"Mom?" I recognized the voice instantly. Little Mitchie. Or, at least, that's what I called her.

"What did you do to her?" she demanded. Okay, so maybe this looked pretty bad. I mean, I have a completely limp woman in my arms, and said woman is pretty much dead to the world.

"She fell asleep," I said, pushing the cabin door open with my foot. "Relax. She's fine."

"Alright, Mitchie, you know your mom is fine. Go back to your cabin, and go to sleep. was sitting in his bed, and, like Mitchie last week, he wouldn't look at me.I had originally met Barron when I was a camper here; it had been his second year, and he was the first person to approach me. I'd told him all about Mitchie, and I wondered if he'd figured out that little Mitchie Torres and Michelle Zingale were one and the same.

I placed Mitchie on the only open bed in the cabin. Looking at her still form, I couldn't help but be reminded of the day she'd drowned in the lake, and an involuntary shudder ran up my spine. I never wanted to relive that day. I managed to remind myself that she was breathing, and I nodded at Barron before leaving with Little Mitchie.

Going back to that first day of camp, you cannot imagine my confusion when someone other than Mitchie answered when I said her name. Then, when I saw Little Mitchie, I almost did a double-take. She looked exactly like Mitchie had when she was her age. And then the crazed fan girl screaming had started. And, of course, it turns out she's in my 3 o'clock dance class.

I silently walked Little Mitchie back to her cabin, then turned around and started walking back to my cabin, kicking sticks and rocks as I went. As I settled down in bed, my thoughts flew to Mitchie. I had no idea where we stood now, or if she would allow me to talk to her or not. I really wanted her back, even if it was just as friend. No one had any idea how much I'd missed her, and how depressed I'd become when I thought I wouldn't ever see her again.

That night, I dreamt of how that summer 20 years ago should have ended.

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**Soooooo... what do you think?**

**Okay, so on Sunday, I'm going to my grandparent's house in New Jersey, which means I will be cut off from any sort of computer that doesn't take hours to load. Unless you count the library, but I have no idea where the library is. Not to mention that I'm going down there to work with family friends for a week, so I probs wouldn't be able to update even if I did have a normal computer. I will have my notebook, though, and I will try to write as much as I can.**

**I'm also going to try and put up the last pre-written chapter today. No promises, though.**

**SPOILER: Mitchie gets a pretty big scare.**


	23. Chapter Nine

**Disclaimer: I so own Camp Rock. Totally. It's crazy, the things I dream at night...**

**Okay, so y'all better thank OneDayAtATime028 _A LOT_ because I was stuck and had no idea what to do with this, and she helped me think of an idea for this chapter.**

**Back to Mitchie's POV...**

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**By the time I'd found an open piano in a place I could play in private, the third hour of classes was already half-over. I'd spent all of breakfast, first hour, and the better part of second hour writing a new song, this time inspired by my daughters. I wanted it to be absolutely perfect before I presented it to them. However, as much as I'd searched, the only place I could find an open piano was in the mess hall. As far as I could see, the place was empty, so I sat on the bench and began to play.

_I hope you never lose your sense of wonder _  
_You get your fill to eat, b__ut always keep that hunger _  
_May you never take one single breath for granted _  
_God forbid love ever leave you empty handed _

_I hope you still feel small _  
_When you stand by the ocean _  
_Whenever one door closes, I hope one more opens _  
_Promise me you'll give faith a fighting chance _

_And when you get the choice to sit it out or dance _  
_I hope you dance _  
_I hope you dance _

_I hope you never fear those mountains in the distance _  
_Never settle for the path of least resistance _  
_Living might mean taking chances if__ they're worth taking _  
_Lovin' might be a mistake, b__ut it's worth making _

_Don't let some hell bent heart l__eave you bitter _  
_When you come close to selling out, r__econsider _  
_Give the heavens above m__ore than just a passing glance  
And when you get the choice to sit it out or dance_

"See, this is why I don't understand why you never came here. You would fit right in." The voice startled me, making me jump, which, in turn, made me hit the wrong keys and stop playing.

"Caitlyn!" I said, jumping up. **(AN: You thought it was gonna be Shane, didn't you?) **She was leaning against the far wall, her arms crossed against her chest. "I didn't see you there."

"That's because I'm a ninja, and you're extremely unobservant," she replied sarcastically, grinning at me. She pushed off the wall, walked over, and sat next to me on the bench.

"Don't you have a class to teach or something?" I smiled back at her.

"It's my day off. But seriously."

"What?"

"Why didn't you go here as a camper? You totally could have won with a voice like that." I chewed the insides of my cheek nervously. I couldn't come up with a believable lie to tell her. Besides, she seemed like the kind of person who would be able to see right through it.

"I didn't come here because it changed everything between me and my best friend," I said in a rush.

"Umm... how? And who? Anyone I know?" I nodded.

"Everyone knows him, now. He won Final Jam."

"Ooh, a celebrity! Who is it?" I laughed and shook my head.

"You wouldn't believe me if I told you." And she probably wouldn't. No one ever does.

"Try me."

"Alright, I guess. It was Shane. Shane Gray." I automatically rubbed my upper arms again while Caitlyn's eyes widened to the size of saucers and her jaw hit the ground.

"No way. Like THE Shane Gray? The Shane Gray who's instructing here? Seriously? No way! Dude, that's so awesome! So you, like, knew Shane before he was famous?" I nodded. "That's so cool! It's like how someone knows a song before it's famous, only it's not a song, it's Shane freakin' Gray!" I laughed again.

"Yeah, we first met when I was five and he was seven. We'd met because he moved in with his aunt and uncle, who lived next door to me," I explained as Caitlyn waited patiently. "My mom had told me that there was a boy y age living there, and I'd gone to say hi. He told me that girls had cooties, and pushed me down."

"Oh man, this is great! Even then, he was obnoxious and aggressive!"

"So I stood up and pushed _him _down." Caitlyn howled with laughters, and I waited for her to calm down before continuing. I told her everything, from our blood promise, to twenty years ago, to meeting again here this summer.

"Man, your life sounds like a soap opera, or something." I nodded in agreement. After our date last night, I had no idea what our relationship was, and Shane hadn't been at breakfast this morning, nor had he been stalking me all morning. As much as I hated to admit it, I'd had fun last night. I hadn't realized how much I'd missed Shane, both as my best friend and boyfriend. I knew he had hurt me, but that was in the past, and this is now. I'd been holding a grudge against him for long enough.

"Do you know where he might be?" I asked, standing up. Caitlyn shook her head.

"Come to think of it, I haven't seen him since he left dinner last night. Try Brown's cabin, though. He might be there." I threw the door open after a brief good-bye and ran down the steps. I didn't know why I was so eager to see Shane. I decided to check his cabin first, in case he'd overslept by a lot, but it was empty. Brown said that he hadn't seen him either. I went by each of the classes, asking some of my friends and Mitchie if they'd seen him.

By now, I was beginning to panic. No one had seen him since he'd brought me back to my cabin and made sure Mitchie got to hers. His cabin was empty, and even Brown hadn't seen him. I cradled my head in my hands, going over places he might be. And then it hit me.

I bolted from the steps I'd been sitting on, hurrying down the dirt path. I could hear singers, drummers, all kinds of musicians, but I focused on the path ahead. As the dirt path turned into wooden boards, I broke into a run, desperate to find Shane. I rounded the last corner sharply, causing me to almost run into a tree, and sighed with relief.

Shane was sitting on the dock with his guitar, strumming absently as he stared out at the trees on the opposite bank. I'd remembered that he had said last night that he used to come down here to think. I had no idea how long he'd been here, but it must have been pretty long. I walked over to him and sat down next to him. When he turned to look at me, he looked surprised and shocked.

"Hey," he said after a just-long-enough-to-be-noticed pause.

"Hey," I smiled back. Another silence hung over to us, and Shane lowered his gaze. I couldn't help but feel disappointed. It was almost as if he was pretending that last night never happened.

"I missed you this morning," I said, touching his arm lightly to get his attention. He looked surprised again, but responded quicker this time.

"Yeah, yeah. I over slept," he explained. "I missed breakfast, so I came down here." Which meant he'd been here for almost four hours.

"Wow, that long?"

"Huh?"

"Shane, you realize it's almost 11:30? You've been out here for a long time." Shane jumped up, looking at his watch. I stood up too, taking his hand in mine. It was almost lunch time, and I'd promised Mitchie to meet her there.

"I hadn't realized how long I'd been there," Shane said as I led him back to camp. "Time really flies when you're at the lake, huh?" I nodded like I knew what he meant.

"I'll be completely honest: I was scared." Shane gave me a weird look, so I continued. "When I couldn't find you, and no one else had seen you since last night, I thought maybe something happened to you. I was scared that maybe you'd left, or gotten hurt or something." Our pace had slowed significantly, until we were barely moving.

"What were you playing back there?" I asked after another silence.

"Nothing, really. Just playing."

"You know, if we're gonna make this work, you have to talk more. What happened to us, Shane? We were never like this before." He looked up with confusion written all over his features, and I lowered my gaze.

"Make what work?" I sighed in exasperation.

"Us! Me, you, us. Even just as friends," I cried, throwing my hands in the air. "We used to be best friends, remember?"

"I'm sorry," he said softly, trying to calm me down. "I wasn't sure if you wanted to be friends again or not. Don't forget, that was the deal. We went on one date, and then it was up to you to choose if you wanted to speak to me or not." I sighed again, and reacher up to brush my hair out of my face, when something on my hand caught my eye. I slowly lowered my hand, tracing my fingers over the pale pink scar on my left palm.

_"Friends till the end?"_

_"Forever and always, Mitch."_

The memory came out of nowhere, and my fingers froze halfway across my scar. I lifted my hand until it was about shoulder height, as if pressed against a wall.

"Friends till the end, remember?" Shane glanced at my hand, then brought his up to meet mine, our scars aligning with each other. I allowed a small smile, remembering all those years ago, when we'd first cut our palms. Our fingers interlaced automatically, and we just stood there for a few seconds, staring at each other.

"You know, she reminds me of you," Shane said softly, leaning in slightly. " A lot."

"Who?"

"Your daughter, Mitchie," he clarified. "You two have so much in common. You've got the same name, the same temperament, the same personality, you look alike... And, of course, you're both completely infatuated with me." Shane smirked down at me as my jaw fell open.

"Jerk! That is so not true!"

"Oh, you're right." I nodded and smiled in agreement. "You're so much easier to annoy. That and she has blue eyes while you have brown." I smacked him on the upper arm.

"That's not what I meant, and you know it! I am _not_ completely infatuated by you!" Frequently fascinated, maybe, but not infatuated.

"Just admit it, Mitchie," he teased. "You looove me." I rolled my eyes and hit him again, but he caught my arm, pulling me closer. His breath blew a few strands of hair into my face. I glared playfully up at him, hyperaware of how close we were.

"Never," I whispered fiercely. I wouldn't let him get to me. He bent his head closer, and I began to close my eyes.

"Umm, guys?" The voice startled us both, and we quickly jumped apart. Shane released my arm, and my eyes snapped open again. Caitlyn stood about fifteen feet away from us, with wide eyes and a shell-shocked expression on her face. "Am I interrupting something...?"

"No, no!"

"We were just-"

"You really weren't-"

"I mean, I was-"

"We were just teasing each other, is all."

"Yeah. What she said." Caitlyn rolled her eyes and shook her head a few times.

"Whatever you say..." she trailed off as she turned, and Shane and I exchanged nervous glances. This was not good.


	24. Chapter Ten

**Disclaimer: I don't own Camp Rock or any of its characters. Especially its characters. Because that would be slavery. Which is frowned upon in most societies. Along with Cannibalism.**

* * *

"So, Mom, I've noticed you and Shane are being quite friendly towards each other now," Mitchie simpered sweetly during lunch. It didn't help that Shane walked through the doors, as if on cue, and waved to me. I waved back, then turned back to my daughter.

"You gonna tell me how you knew him previously?" She grinned and wiggled her eyebrows, knowing she had me in the perfect position.

"Will you let it drop if I tell you?" She nodded. "I grew up next door to him and-"

"No way! That's awesome!"

"Yeah, yeah. Anyway, we grew up next door to each other and eventually became best friends and-"

"Seriously? That's-"

"Awesome, I know. Are you gonna listen or not?" Mitchie pantomimed locking her lips and stared intently at me, leaning forward on her elbows. I rolled my eyes as she smiled, then continued.

"I met him when I was five, and we became friends. Then, when I was eleven and he was thirteen, he came here-"

"I knew it!" She slapped the table loudly and stood up as she pointed at me. "I knew he went here!"

"Michelle Alexis Zingale, would you sit down and listen? You're the one who wanted me to tell you."

"Ooh. Full name. Scary." I crossed my arms and stared at my daughter until she sat back down and locked her lips again.

"Shane came here and won Final Jam. We got into a fight a few days before he left for Hollywood."

"So how did he manage to recognize you? I mean, the last time he saw you, you were eleven, and now you're an old fart," she said casually.

"Hey! I'll have you know that 36 is _not _old!" I exclaimed. "Besides, that wasn't the last time we saw each other. He came back to Loch Arbour five years later. He'd turned into an annoying, rude, jerk-throb, and his manager sent him there in hopes that he would 'reconnect with his roots' or something and change. He snuck up on me while I was playing guitar and-"

"And he totally recognized you, right?"

"Wrong."

"Wrong?"

"Right."

"But-"

"He got caught up in Hollywood drama and completely forgot about me."

"That jacka-"

"Finish that sentence. Go on, I dare you." Mitchie pressed her lips tightly together, then smiled at me.

"So, over the course of the summer, I reminded Shane of his childhood," I said, picking up a piece of bread and playing with it as I spoke. "Eventually he gathered up enough courage to ask me out." As I saw Mitchie open her mouth to interrupt me yet again, I shoved the piece of bread I had been playing with into her mouth. I smiled sweetly at her as she stared at me incredulously, then I continued. "We dated for about a month, but then a week before he left again, we got into another fight. The last time I saw him was the day he left for California again. I was still furious at him, so when he came over, I kicked him out."

"Mom! You kicked a WORLD FAMOUS pop-star out of your house? Why?" Mitchie looked completely stricken, like she couldn't believe her ears. This is why I didn't want to tell her. I didn't want to drag my kids into my dramatic past, and I knew Mitchie would flip out. People were staring at us now, so I forced her to sit again and pulled her chair close, shoving my face in front of hers.

"First of all, keep your voice down," I whispered. "And second of all, he hurt me. In more ways than one. I had a good reason."

"But, he was world famous! Even then!"

"I know that!" I rubbed my upper arms again. Memories of those fleeting weeks with Shane, from twenty years ago, came flooding back. At first they were pleasant, the times at the lake, forcing Shane to face his fans, reminding Shane of who I was, being asked out by Shane... I couldn't help but smile at the last one. But along with those memories came more painful ones to deal with, and soon it became too painful to bear. I grabbed my purse and kissed Mitchie on the forehead.

"I have to go. I'll see you later," I said in a monotone voice. Then I all but ran out the door. Mitchie had agreed to have Katie shadow her today, so I didn't have to worry about keeping an eye on her. So I headed to the empty theater, the one only really used for Final Jam.

I plopped down on the vacant piano bench and just scowled at the keys. I would have been perfectly happy to just teach here for a couple of months and then just go back to me normal life in the sleepy little town of Guilford, but _nooooo_. Shane just had to show up and screw it all up. Last night I'd dreamt of kissing him. _Kissing_ him! Even when I was dating him, I'd never dreamt of kissing him! What the hell was I supposed to do with that? I still wear my wedding band, for cryin' out loud!

I screamed in frustration and punched the wall behind me. Instantly, my eyes widened, and I howled in pain. The bench tipped over backwards as I shot up, hopping around and cradling my injured hand to my chest. Clearly that wasn't the greatest idea I've ever had. I carefully flexed my fingers, wincing as my knuckles screamed in pain. I snatched my purse from where I'd dropped it on the floor and stomped over to the nurse's cabin. Surprisingly, she didn't even question me when she laid the bag of ice on my hand.

After a few minutes of poking and prodding, she concluded that my hand was not broken, but that I should be careful when I use it. I trudged to my cabin, hoping to get even a few minutes of sanity. Of course, though a few seconds after I flopped face-first onto my bed, the door opened again.

"Hey, Mitchie?"

"Whaaaaat?" I whined. I knew it was childish, but I didn't want to be bothered by anyone. _Especially _Shane.

"Okay, geez, Grumpyface. I was gonna ask if you wanted to go for a canoe ride, but if you're gonna be all snippy about it..." I could hear the smirk in his voice, and it only fed my annoyance. I huffed in response and rolled over so my back was to him.

"Okay, see normally that would have gotten at least a smile out of you," Shane said, crossing the room. The side of my bed sunk down as he sat on it. "What's up?"

"Bad day," I mumbled into my pillow. "_Really_ bad day." I willed him to go away in my head. I heard and felt him get up, and for a moment thought that it had actually worked, but then he lifted me up from the bed and set me on my feet.

"Shane!" I shrieked, a wave of deja-vu crashing over me. He took my hand and began pulling me down towards the docks. Apparently he was taking me out for a canoe ride no matter what I said. I huffed angrily as he slipped the life vest over my head and dropped me into the canoe. I attempted to get out and get away before he could push the boat off the shore, but he caught me before I'd taken two steps and shoved the boat into the lake. I sighed in frustration. There would be no escaping him now.

"So, Mitchie, how's life?" Shane smirked at me.

"Well, I'm teaching at a summer camp that I'd really rather not be at, my oldest daughter is asking me nonstop about my famous childhood friend, and now I'm being forced to go on a canoe ride with said friend slash ex-boyfriend. How do you think my life is?" I snapped back. Shane jerked his head back.

"Well, I think it sounds great," he muttered, still rowing towards the middle of the lake. Acting on impulse, I stood up and leapt out of the canoe, landing with a huge splash in the water.

"Mitchie!" Shane yelled, though I'm not sure whether it was because I'd jumped or because I'd gotten his hair wet. I swan all the way back to the shore, but paused as i heard a very familiar voice singing in the mess hall.

_"Who can say for certain?  
__Maybe you're still here  
__I feel you all around me  
__Your memory's so clear_

_Deep in the stillness  
__I can hear you speak  
__You're still an inspiration  
__Can it be  
__That you are my forever love  
__And you are watching over me from up above?_

_Fly me up to where you are  
__Beyond the distant star  
__I wish upon tonight  
__To see you smile  
__If only for awhile  
__To know you're there_

_A breath away's not far  
__To where you are"_

"Mitchie?" I called, pushing the door open. My daughter jumped up,, then relaxed as she realized it was me.

"Hi mom," she said timidly. "You heard, huh?" I nodded. It didn't take a genius to guess who the song was dedicated to, and I opened my arms to my eldest daughter. She ran to me, and I wrapped my arms around her, holding her close. Moments like these were so rare now, and I held her tighter.

"I miss Daddy so much," she murmured.

"So do I, baby. So do I." I replied, and we stayed like that for a good long time.


	25. Author's Note Sorry!

Hey guys, so listen. I just got a message saying that the following stories of mine have been nominated for an award:

All Eyes on Her  
Twenty Questions  
Listen to Your Heart

It would mean a lot to me if you would go and vote for them at http :/ bit . ly /mHcVmX (minus the spaces).

And also, I'm really sorry that this isn't a chapter. I've been swamped between exams and the SATs and stuff, but now that that's all over and I have more time, I promise I'll be working on them more.

~Following My Own Footsteps


	26. Chapter Eleven

**Disclaimer: I don't own Camp Rock or any of its characters. Especially its characters. Because that would be slavery. Which is frowned upon in most societies. Along with Cannibalism.**

**Okay, I know for a fact that you're all going to hate me for this, but I've lost interest in Camp Rock. A few years ago, back when I first started writing for it, I absolutely loved the movie and thought it was the coolest thing sinced sliced bread. But the thing is, I've grown up a lot since I first started writing this story almost two and a half years ago.**

**I promise that I will try and finish this story. I will not put it on hiatus again, but the updates will be few and far between. I also have to cut this short a bit if I want to finish this. I already have the ending planned out, so don't worry about that. The plot will stay the same. Just please, try to be patient with me and I promise I will do my best to finish this story.**

* * *

The weeks passed, some slower than others. Even though I had promised myself I wouldn't, I realized, too late, that I had fallen for Shane's charm all over again. The way he looked at me, touched me, even the way he said my name... How couldn't a girl fall for that? Besides, we had grown up together, and he knew me like the back of his own hand.

"So what's your daughter got planned for Final Jam?" Shane asked the day before Final Jam was supposed to take place. My head was in his lap and I fiddled with a small wildflower as he played with my hair.

"I can't tell you," I teased him. To be honest, I didn't care that we were acting like teenagers again. I liked it when he flirted with me and gave me a chance to flirt back. I'd never admit it to anyone, but I sometimes imagined myself marrying him.

"Sure you can," he said lightly. I shook my head and sat up.

"She made me promise not to tell." Shane smiled and grabbed my hands. He began to lean in close, and suddenly our lips were barely inches apart.

I inhaled sharply and drew my head back. What was I doing acting like a smitten schoolgirl? I picked up my things and stood quickly, glancing back down at Shane.

"I'm sorry," I apologized quickly. "I just... I can't." I rubbed my left ring finger as I fled back to my cabin, tears urning my eyes. I hated that it seemed like I was leading him on. I hated the fact that I still felt like Joe was lingering near me, watching my every move. It felt like I was betraying him whenever I spent time with Shane. I pressed my body against the door of my cabin and slowly slid down to the floor, exhaling loudly as I went.

"You okay?" My eyes raised and landed on Barron who was watching me with concern as I sat there on the floor.

"No," I answered honestly, "but I will be in a minute."

* * *

"Mo-om!" Mitchie whined.

"Wha-at?" I whined back, mimicking her tone. Mitchie frowned as I ran the brush through her hair once more.

"Just stop!" she cried, standing up. "It's useless. My hair looks totally weird, and nothing will help!" She brushed past me, and I couldn't help but smile. I remembered the days when I thought how my hair looked was the most important thing in the world. I crossed the room and sat on Mitchie's bed, where she was lying face down on the matress. She flipped over and looked up at me tearfully.

"What's this really about?" I asked gently.

"I'm gonna suck! I'm gonna get up on the stage and I'm gonna choke and then I'll be the laughing stock of the entire camp," she moaned. "I don't wanna do this anymore. I want to drop out of Final Jam. I can still do that, right?"

"Well, I'm sure you could, but is that what you really want?" She nodded. "Well, see, I don't think so. I think that deep down, you want to sing you heart out on that stage and bring the house down with your talent."

"Yeah, well, you're wrong." Mitchied flipped back over onto her stomach and ignored me when I began rubbing small circles on her back."

"I remember the first time I performed," I said. "I was so nervous that I almost threw up all over my best friend. I felt exactly the way you feel right now; I didn't want to go, I wanted to drop out."

"Shut up."

"But once I got up there on the stage," I continued, "I felt amazing. I felt like I could do anythhing. And you know what? I didn't make a single mistake."

Mitchie turned her head so she could look at me. "Really?" I nodded.

"I met your father that night, actually. He came up to me after I was done and we started talking. Eventually we traded numbers and went our separate ways. I didn't think he would actually call, but he did. He called me the next day, asking if I want to catch a movie."

"That's great, Mom," Mitchie said dryly, "but I'm not you. I'm not as brave as you are."

"Yes, I know you're not me," I said softly. "But you _are _my daughter. I figure I passed down at least a little bravery to you." I smiled. "And if you're nervous, just look for me in the back of the room. Sing to me instead of the rest of the audience. You do it all the time at home."

"Alright," she agreed. "But only for you."

"And remember that no matter what happens, Katie, your father and I will always be here for you."

**.:X:.**

I held my breath nervously as Brown took the stage to announce Mitchie's act. Crossing my fingers, I strained my ears to hear Brwon talk over the rush of blood in my ears.

"Our next camper is one of our first years, but this girl has amazing talent," he said. "Tongiht, she's going to sing one of her original songs for us, about her dad. Please give it up for Mitchie Zingale!" Everyone in the auditorium cheered and clapped politely, and I caught a glimpse of Katie standing up in the front near Shane. Mitchie took small, tentative steps on the stage as the music started up.

_"The things my father said would make me a better woman_  
_Hard work and the love of friends, a man that understands_

_I hope my father knows the seeds we've sown still grow_  
_At night I go to sleep and pray he's watching over me_

_Somewhere there's a star that's shining_  
_So bright that I can see you smile_  
_And all that I need is one last chance_  
_Just to hear you say goodbye"_

I could see that she was becoming more confident in herself. A sad smile appeared on her face, and I had to close my eyes for a moment as I listened to my daughter sing.

_"Sometimes I remember, when you taught me to tie my shoes_  
_One thing I will never forget, is the day that I lost you_  
_I hope you always know the car that we built will always roll_

_Somewhere there's a star that's shining_  
_So bright that I can see you smile_  
_And all that I need is one last chance_  
_Just to hear you say goodbye"_

She leaned down and took Katie's hand, quickly hoisting her onstage with her. I beamed as tears filled my eyes, watching as Mitchie held tight to Katie's hand as she sang. Katie looked absolutely elated as her sister towed her around the stage.

_"And if you have a dream you better hang on for dear life_  
_And when that cold wind blows, just let it pass you by_

_The things my father said_

_Somewhere there's a star that's shining_  
_So bright that I can see you smile_  
_And all that I need is one last chance_  
_Just to hear you say goodbye"_

There was a moment of stunned silence, and then the entire place erupted in cheers. I clapped until my hands hurt and cheered until it felt like my voice was about to give out as the lights dimmed and Mitchie and Katie made their way offstage.

* * *

**Alright, starting with the next chapter, I already pre-wrote them out, including the author's notes in them. I figure I'll have the rest of them up today, and then maybe the epilogue tomorrow.**

**Also, I changed like two words in Mitchie's song just to make it fit better for a girl to be singing it. Sue me.**


	27. Chapter Twelve

**Disclaimer: I don't own Camp Rock or any of its characters. Especially its characters. Because that would be slavery. Which is frowned upon in most societies. Along with Cannibalism.**

**Pre-written chapters FTW!**

* * *

This was it- the last day of camp. A girl named Cassidy was going home with the prize of a record deal, and my daughters were already talking about coming back next year. At the beginning of the summer I wouldn't have believed it, but I was looking forward to coming back here next year too. I'd finally seen for myself the magic that had attracted Shane here in the first place. Packing my suitcase to go home seemed like the most depressing thing to do right now.

Mitchie, Katia and I were going to Loch Arbour instead of straight home, to spend a few days with my parents. We hadn't seen them in a while, and when I'd called I'd found out that Dylan was there too. So while the girls were sad about leaving camp, they were also excited to see their grandparents and uncle again.

Barron, Sander, Lola, Peggy, Caitlyn, Ella and I all exchanged e=mails and phone numbers, promising each other to keep in touch as best we could, as if we were the campers instead of the counselors. I pretended not to notice, but Barron and Peggy seemed to hug a lot longer than was necessary, and I smiled. They were cute togetherm I had to admit. caitlyn and I had become incredibly close over the past eight weeks, and she made me promise to email her at least once a week. I hadn't said good-bye to Shane yet. I didn't want to. Saying good-bye just seemed so... final.

As i loaded our suitases into the back of my car, I heard someone walk up behind me. I looked up as I closed the trunk. Shane stood there, his hands in his pockets. We walked closer until we were two feet apart, and awkward silence filling the space around us.

"So," I said, trailing off.

"So..."

"I'm going to miss you."

"Yeah, me too. I had fun this summer."

"Yeah, I did too." We both paused and shifted awkwardly, not sure what to say to one another.

"I guess this is good-bye, then," Shane said.

"Yeah, I guess so."

"So do we shake hands or something?" Shane asked, stircking his right hand out. I glanced at his hand for a moment, then raised my gaze to meet his eyes. He lowered his hand back to his side and shifted his weight from foot to foot awkwardly.

"I shold go," he said, gesturing over his shoulder with his thumb. "See you, Mitchie." I watched as Shane turned and started walking away, and I couldn't take it anymore.

"Shane!" I cried, running after him. He turned half-way around before my body slammed into his and I threw my arms around his neck, smashing my mouth onto his. He froze for a second, then responded to my kiss, wrapping his arms around my waist and pulling me closer. The spraks I had felt when we were teenagers were finally back, and my fingers tangled in his hair of their own accord.

"What was that for?" Shane grinned down at me after we separated. "Not that I'm complaining." His arms were still around my waist, and mine were still thrown around his neck.

"You didn't think I'd let you leave without a good-bye kiss, sis you?" My eyes were filling with tears, and Shane pulled me closer to his body.

"Well at least we're ending things on a better note than the last itime," Shane remarked. I laughed weakly.

"True, but we both still end up with broken hearts," I saighed sadly. A car horn made us jump. Nate and jason were leaning out the windows of a limo, beckoning to Shane.

"C'mon, man, we're gonna miss our flight!" Nate called. Shane grimaced and lifted my chin to kiss me one last time. I wrapped my arms around myself and rubbed my upper arms as I watched the limo drive away, tears pricking my eyes.

"Mom, are you okay?" Mitchie was suddenly by my side, touching my arm, letting me know she was there for me.

"Yeah, baby, I'm fine," I said, putting my arm around her. "I was just saying good-bye to a friend." Mitchie nodded knowingly.

"It was Shane, wasn't it?" Maybe a little too knowingly. I nodded.

"Yeah. It was Shane." We turned together and got into the car. Pulling out of the camp, I couldn't help but wonder if I could really wait an entire year to see Shane again. I already knew the answer.

* * *

**THE END!**

**Just kidding. There's no way this story ends like this. I'm not _that _cruel, contrary to popular belief. There's still a few more chapters to this.**

**And sorry if this sucked more than usual. I know it's short, but the stupid little plot bunnies began beating me with bats and brooms and mops in the middle of the night, and they refused to stop until I got out of bed and wrote this down. it's literally 12:35 am where I live right now. So, I'm off to bed (again) and hoping the plot bunnies are done for now. Night everyone!**

**P.S. Any guesses on Mitchie's answer to whether or not she can wait a year? it's really obvious. Please review!**

**AN EDIT: Yeahhhh... 14/15-year-old me was a spazz... and desperate for reviews...**


	28. Chapter Thirteen

**Disclaimer: I don't own Camp Rock or any of its characters. Especially its characters. Because that would be slavery. Which is frowned upon in most societies. Along with Cannibalism.**

* * *

"We're home!" the three of us called as I opened the door to my parents' house. They still lived in the house i had grown up in. My parents came through the kitchen door, and my daughters dropped their bags and ran to hug them. I smiled as they ran to the kitchen to find Dylan, then went to hug my mom and dad.

"Hey, Mom. hey, Dad," I said, hugging them each in turn. The last time I'd seen them was about ten months ago, at the funeral. I'd been a hysterical mess, and I knew it hurt them to see me like that. I also knew that I looked a lot better now, and I'd gained back the weight I'd lost during those long months of depression.

"How are you feeling, sweetie?" my mom asked in a concerned voice, her hands on my shoulders.

"Better," I said. "A lot better." And it was true. Something about Camp Rock had been therapeutic to me. Maybe it was all the music, or maybe it had been Shane. But whatever it was, it had made me a lot less sad than I had been at the beginning of summer, and a lot more like the old me.

I hugged Dylan quickly, teased him a little, and went up to my old room. Everything was exactly as I'd left it when I went to college. My closet was empty, and there were a few boxes stacked in a corner. My old guitars and keyboard were even there. They were covered in dust and the guitars were probably way out of tune by now. I wasn't even sure I remembered how to play them.

Sighing, I went back downstairs where Mitchie was playing the song she'd performed at Final Jam on the piano, and I couldn't help but smile. She was turning out to be just like me, and even if she wasn't I would still be as proud of her as I was then. Though I did have to have a talk with her. If she thought I hadn't seen her flirting with the boys she was mistaken, especially if she _did _know and though I would let her get away with it.

My parents shooed Dylan, Mitchie and Katie outside, demanding that I tell them what happened this summer. I told them everything, including Shane. As soon as my dad's face began to turn red, I stopped.

"Dad, I swear, he's grown up," I explained quickly, trying to calm him down. "Twenty years is a long time, long enough for him to mature. He apologized for everything and, though it took a little while, I was able to forgive him. He's an okay guy. trust me." Slowly, my dad's face faded back to a more normal color, and I continued telling them about my summer. When I finished, they were quiet for a little while.

"That sounds fantastic, Mitchie, but are you sure Shane's changed?" My mom asked. I smiled as I thought of all the things Shane had done for me over the course of the summer.

"Yeah, I'm sure."


	29. Chapter Fourteen

**Disclaimer: I don't own Camp Rock or any of its characters. Especially its characters. Because that would be slavery. Which is frowned upon in most societies. Along with Cannibalism.**

* * *

We'd been at my parents' house for five day, now. Dylan had left two days ago, and the girls and I were leaving in three. My parents had taken Mitchie and Katie to the park, but I'd slept in and now I had the entire house to myself. I had a better idea, though, and I quickly threw on some clothes and left through the back door.

The walk through the woods seemed longer than I remembered, but I eventually found the lake. Unlike my room, things weren't as i had left them. The towel shed looked like it was rotting and unstable, and the rope swing was broken. The dock was partially underwater now, and the whole place seemed to have lost its magic. I walked around the lake and was pleased to see that the lake house, at least, was still standing.

The steps creaked under my weight as I made my way to the porsh, a sudden wind blowing away some of the dead leaves from previous years. I could tell that the place was still abandoned; at least something about the place hadn't changed since I'd been gone. The house was covered in a layer of dirt, and ivy had grown over parts of the house.

I knew three days wasn't enough to restore the lake to its former glory, but I ignored that thought as I went back to my parents' house and returned to the lake with a bucket, gloves, a sponge, window cleaner and some wood loaded into my old wagon.

I started by ripping off all the ivy on the house, which took quite a while. Then, I filled the bucket with water and began scrubbing all the years' worth of dirt and grime off the walls and porch. The sun was well overhead by the time I began working on the windows, which were also caked with dirt. I scrubbed at them furiously, determined to have the place at least somewhat clean by the end of the day.

"I thought I might find you here." I jumped and let out a small shriek as I stepped on the bucket of cold, dirty water, splashing water all over myself. I spun, barely believing my eyes or ears.

"Shane!" I rejoiced, running over to him, not caring that I was covered in dirt and sweat. "What are you doing here?" Shane smirked as he pulled me into a tight bear hug.

"Well, after i told my manager about camp, and how I'd been reunited with you, he told me to forget about you and focus on my music, like last time," he informed me. I quickly dropped my arms and backed out of the hug. Shane wasn't smiling anymore, and I could feel my face fall. he'd come to say goodbye. Again.

"Oh..." I muttered dumbly.

"So after a few minutes of deliberation, I quit the band and got on the next plane to Connecticut." My mouth dropped open.

"You quitthe band?"

"It didn't take me long to figure out that you weren't in Guilford, so then I took a train down here, figuring you might be visiting your parents."

"You seriously _quit _the band?"

"I saw Mitchie and Katie with your parents at the park, so I knew you had to be around here somewhere. I mean, in a town of 280 people, a person shouldn't be that hard to find. Then I remembered you saying something about not going to the lake house in a while, so I thought I'd check and here we are."

"Shane Adam Gray, what the_ hell _were you thinking?" I practically shrieked, slapping him upside the head.

"Ow, hey!" he complained with a small smile. "I was thinking you would be happy to see me! Geez, you hit hard!"

"Oh, no, I'm happy to see you, believe me. But quitting Connect 3? Clearly you _weren't _thinking. You guys have been together forever! Why didn't you just listen to your manager? We would have seen each other next year." Shane took me in his arms and leaned down so he could whisper in my ear.

"I didn't listen to him because I love you, Mitchie," he said softly, his breath tickling my ear. "I don't want our relationship to be based around summers. I don't want to have to wait until summer every year to see you again."

"But... what about the band?"

"It's like I told you the last time we were here together; they'll survive without me. But I can't. I can't survive without you, Mitchie, and I refuse to write you off as just another fan. they can find another singer. I can't find another heart." We'd slowly drifted apart as Shane spoke, so I pulled him close again and laid my head against his chest, refusing to let go. I felt Shane move to take something out of his pocket and I shifted to his side to make it a little easier for him.

"My father gave this to me when he died," he said, holding up a small diamond ring. "It used to be my mother's. He told me to give to to the woman I truly loved."

"Shane, I-"

"You stole my heart a long time ago, Mitchie, even before I'd left for Camp Rock," Shane said, finally looking at me. "You stole it, and never gave it back. Without you, I feel... empty. There's no other word for it. I fell like there's nothing inside me, nothing to live for. What I'm trying to say is, Mitchie, will you marry me?" I pressed a fist to my mouth as a sob escaped. Shane looked disappointed, lowering his gaze back to the ground.

"I understand if you think it's too soon. I know you're still getting over Joe. I'd better go." He began to untangle himself from me, but i tightened my grip on him, pulling him back.

"No, no, I'm fine, I promise. I love you too, Shane."

"Then why are you crying?"

"Happy tears," I informed him. "They're very common for girls." Shane smiled and kissed the top of my head. We stood like that in silence for a while.

"Yes," I mumbled into his shirt.

"What?"

"Yes, I'll marry you." Shane's grin grew even broader, something I hadn't thought possible, and he gently slipped the ring onto my finger. He admired it for a second before stepping back and picking up my sponge.

"So, what are we doing?" he asked. I smiled and laughed before picking up the bucket of water he'd made me jump in and splashing him with it. His expression changed from shock to mischievious as he dropped the sponge, scooped me up, and tossed me into the lake.

"Shane, you idiot!" I sputtered as I landed in the shallow surf. "Help me up, you ass!" Shane stuck out his hand, and I pulled him in beside me. I laughed as he yelled and shook his wet hair at me, spraying me with water.

"Oh, you are so gonna get it now!" I screamed in mock fear and scrambled out of the water. I ran around to the back of the lake house, catching my breath before peeking around the side of the house.

He wasn't there.

"Shane?" I called tentatively, stepping around the corner. "Where are you?"

"RROOOOOOAAR!" He scooped me up into his arms bridal-style from behind. I laughed, wrapping my arms around his neck and pulling his face closer to mine. As his lips touched mine, I closed my eyes and let the sparks it created fly around us. The entire forest could have erupted into flames and I wouldn't have noticed, nor would I have cared. Shane was here, he was kissing me, and we were getting married.

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**YAY! They finally get their happy ending! Only one more chapter and then the epilogue!**

**Edit: Yeah, there's not much more to say other than what younger-me already said.**


	30. Chapter Fifteen

**Disclaimer: I don't own Camp Rock or any of its characters. Especially its characters. Because that would be slavery. Which is frowned upon in most societies. Along with Cannibalism.**

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I took a few calming breaths and smoothed out the (non-existant) wrinkled in the ivory dress i was wearing. My hair had so much hairspray in it that, if I wanted to, I could probably reach up and snap parts of it off. My make-up felt way too think, and I was being forced to wear high heels. I fidgeted uneasily in the seat as people rushed around me. All my bridesmaids had insisted on getting me ready before themselves.

Shane, Mitchie, Katie and I had just gotten back from Camp Rock three weeks ago. I'd somehow managed to keep our engagement a secret for the entire year, just so I could see my friends' reactions when I showed them the ring. Caitlyn's had been the best by far; her scream had been louder than I'd thought was humanly possible, and after hugging me and bouncing for a few seconds, she'd turned around and slapped Shane across the face. I believe her exact words were, "Shane Adam Gray, you bastard! Why didn't you tell me you were going to propose?"

Absolutely priceless.

Even better than that, Mitchie had won Final Jam this year. She was fantasticc, singing her heart out on that stage. Once again, the prize had been a record deal, and everyong had been surprised when she'd declined, including me. She said that she'd rather perform in her bedroom than onstage, and so the deal had been offered to the second place winner. later, I'd caught her kissing the boy she'd met last year, Sam.

Nate and Jason had convinced Shane to at least go on a final "Farewell" tour, so I hadn't seen him until the summer anyway. We'd had to plan the entire wedding over the phone and through emails. The girls and I had all been thrilled when we all were finally reunited at camp.

And now, three weeks later, I was finally marrying Shane. Caitlyn was my maid of honor, Nate was the best man, Katie was the flower girl and Mitchie was singing at the reception. A lot of Camp Rock instrusctors had found out about my engagement to Shane through Caitlyn's ear-splitting scream, and so many of them were sitting in the church. Shane was still a hot Hollywood topic, so we knew some pictures from the wedding would eventually be leaked to the press.

I looked up as my mom approached me with something hidden behind her back. She blocked my view as she laid some items down on the vanity, then turned back to me.

"Something old," she said, taking her favorite earrings out of her own ears and putting them in mine.

"Something new." She placed a beautiful diamond necklace around my neck, and I reached up to touch it.

"Something borrrowed." She held up a flower hairpin before securing it in my hair. "It's Caitlyn's and she told me to tell you that she wants it back."

"Wouldn't the earring count as something borrowed, though?" My mom shook her head.

"Those earring have been passed down from mother to daughter on her wedding day. they were originally my grandmothers', and now they're yours." My mouth dropped open, and I reached up to hug my mom.

"I love you, Mommy," I said into her hair.

"And I love you, Mitchie." She pulled back and handed me my bouquet, which had a few blue flowers in it.

"The flowers can count as your something blue," my mom said as a horn sounded outside of the house. I was ushered out the door and into the limo, and then we were off to the church. Butterflies fluttered around in my stomach, making it hard to focus. Caitlyn and my mom squeezed my hands reassuringly. Soon we were in front of the church, and I started pacing the hall nervously, anxious to see Shane again.

I heard the wedding march start, and my head snapped up in the dirsection of the doors. I rushed over to where the bridesmaids were already lined up. One by one, they all followed Katie down the aisle, smiling brightly at all the guests. My mom and Caitlyn lowered the veil over my face before disappearing through the doors too, and my dad stepped to my side, holind his arm out to me.

"Shall we?" he grinned at me. I smiled back and linked my arm with his.

"We shall." The doors opened again, and everyone stood up and faced us. I smiled as my dad led me down the aisle. I knew everyone was staring at me, but the only things i could see were my daughters and Shane. Suddenly, it was only the pressure of my father's arm around mine that kept me from sprinting headlong down the aisle to them. I forced myself to march to the beat of the song, which was excruciatingly slow, couting the steps I took.

Thirty-eight steps later, my dad lifted the veil, kissed my cheek softly and placed my hand in Shane's. The butterflies in my stomach fluttered frantically, and I had to take quite a few deep breaths before they settled down again. All throughout the ceremony, I found that I could only focus on Shane's hand around mine. he would squeeze it reassuringly every so often, and I was grateful.

As I stood next to Shane at the altar, I couldn't help but think back to the time we first met, all those years ago. I'd been convinced that we would be best friends, even though Shane had had different ideas in the beginning. I remembered that once I'd laughed at the idea of marrying Shane. We'd known each other for years, and I hadn't been able to think of him as anything other than my best friend.

"You may now kiss the bride."

As Shane and I shared our first kiss as husband and wife, I couldn't help but laugh at how differently my life had turned out than how I had planned as a little girl.


End file.
